Rewriting History
by do i need a pen name
Summary: With a little help from Destiny, Harry Potter is given the chance to grow up with a family that loves him. But how is this really going to affect his life...and his ultimate destiny to live or die?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer-I don't own any of these characters except for Destiny.**

**Rewriting History**

**Chapter One**

"How did I get _here_?" Ginny asked, looking around at her surroundings and finding herself in the field just next to her childhood home. "Hello! Is there anyone else here?"

"I wouldn't do that if I was you," said a voice from behind her, "You might wake everyone up."

Ginny spun around to find a girl standing there. She looked to be about the same age as Ginny, with untamed blonde hair and wearing pale green robes.

"Who are you?" Ginny couldn't help the suspicious tone that crept into her voice as she spoke.

"You can call me Destiny," The girl said pleasantly enough. "I'm the one who brought you here."

"Why would you do that? I was just in the middle of the final battle," Ginny said, her frustration getting the better of her in her confusion. "Harry put you up to this, didn't he?"

"In a way," Destiny allowed. "But mostly, you brought yourself here. You said you wished you could go back and fix everything for Harry. Well, this is your chance."

Ginny looked at the girl standing before her reproachfully. "How do you know that?"

"I am destiny. I know everything," Came the solemn reply

"Wait a minute." Ginny said slowly. "When you say destiny, do you mean as in the destiny of everyone and everything?"

"Well…yes, basically," Destiny replied. "I am an Angel of Destiny. But more specifically, the destiny of one Mr. Harry James Potter. You're here because I need help getting Harry to fulfill the destiny he was stripped of."

"How can I help?" Ginny asked eagerly. She knew that this was a bit of a rash response, especially given the fact that the girl—no matter who she claimed to be—who had apparently brought Ginny back to the Burrow and was now standing before her was a complete stranger. But after being forced into hiding in the past few months and then being told by her parents that she was not to participate in the battle taking place at Hogwarts under any circumstances (conveniently ignoring the fact that she had, in fact, gone against their wishes), Ginny was desperate to do whatever she could to help Harry. Merlin only knew how much he deserved the help, no matter how much he hated to ask for it or potentially put other people in harm's way.

"Start with your mum." Destiny advised, nodding in the direction of the still-dark house off to their left. "Then go to Surrey. Get there before sunrise. Harry never should have gone to his aunt's. He should have been raised by someone who loved him. And don't forget about the rat. The rat is part of the key to Harry's happiness."

"Wait," Ginny said, confused by the sudden onslaught of information, most of which she only vaguely understood. "What do you mean about starting with my mum? You aren't leaving me here alone, are you?"

Destiny smiled sadly. "I have to. I don't belong now. But don't worry, I was born a few hours ago."

With that final word, Destiny disappeared, leaving Ginny alone and quite confused. She turned around to survey the house standing there: the Burrow, her home. It was then that she realized what Destiny meant when she said 'start with your mum'. Because a light had just appeared in the previously darkened kitchen. Molly Weasley was up.

Cautiously, Ginny approached the house. Whatever Destiny's cryptic message had really meant, Ginny knew that some sort of time travel had occurred. There really was no other rational explanation for it. She chose to ignore the dread that rose in her at what the implications of the situation she was now in might mean. She wasn't going to think about how awful things must really be going in the battle that would necessitate her being sent back in time by an Angel of Destiny. Instead, she was going to focus on the fact that there was a distinct possibility that Molly might not actually recognize her only daughter right now. Heck, there was a possibility that Ginny hadn't even been born yet.

Ginny was at the door now. Preparing herself for the worst, she stuck her hand out and knocked on the door. Ginny heard the scuffling of footsteps as Molly approached the door.

"Who's there?" A muffled voice asked.

"Ginny?" Ginny offered.

"What?" Molly wrenched the door open. She looked extremely worried, and maybe...scared? Her gaze soon became suspicious as she took in the red-haired girl in her late teens standing there.

"Who are you?" Molly asked suspiciously, and Ginny could see the wand clenched tightly in her hand.

"My name is Ginny." Ginny said.

"Ginny? I thought you meant- well it doesn't matter now really. What do you want?"

"Don't you recognize me?" Ginny questioned, doing the best to quell her rising desperation.

"No. Should I?"

"This is going to be worse than I thought it was." Ginny muttered to herself. She looked up to see Molly gazing at her in curiosity.

"Is something wrong dear?" Molly asked, now adopting the motherly tone Ginny was used to. "Do you need help?"

"Maybe you could help me with something." Ginny said thoughtfully. "What year is it?"

Molly looked at her strangely.

"1981." She answered after a moment. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"No." Ginny moaned. "Molly, do you believe time travel is possible?"

"That's why we have time turners dear." Molly answered. "And how did you know my name?"

"Time travel." Ginny answered. "I'm...oh, I don't know how to say this, but I'm your daughter, from the future."

Unsurprisingly, Molly's expression became even more suspicious. In the corner of her vision, Ginny saw that Molly's grip on her wand had tightened.

"Prove it," Molly challenged the younger girl. "Tell me something that only you, as my daughter, would know."

Ginny had to think for a moment before she suddenly remembered a random tidbit of information that she had heard once upon a time.

"When Bill was born," Ginny began, "Everyone was really pleased because he was the first grandchild for dad's parents. Uncle Billius was so pleased when you introduced the new baby to the family and said that he was called 'Bill' that you never had the heart to tell him that his full name is actually William. You later admitted to dad that you couldn't believe Uncle Billius was foolish enough to believe that you'd ever forgive him for the spectacle he'd made at your wedding—especially enough to name your first son after him."

To Ginny's immense surprise, Molly's whole face lit up at this and she immediately ushered Ginny into the house. As Ginny followed her mother into the living room, she couldn't help but be glad that—whenever it had been that her mother had shared that particular story—she had actually paid enough attention to be able to remember it so easily.

"Sit there." Molly commanded, indicating the chair usually occupied by Mr. Weasley. Ginny sat down obligingly.

"Now," Molly continued, "Tell me about yourself. Obviously you've survived the war. That's good."

"How do you know about the war?" Ginny asked curiously.

Molly looked at her strangely. "How could I _not_ know about the war? The world I live in is consumed by war."

"Oh dear." Ginny said softly, realization dawning on her. "What's the date?"

"It's the first of November, 1981." Molly answered. "It's quite early in the morning really. The only reason why I'm even up right now is because Arthur got an urgent call from the ministry. I wonder what that was about?"

"Voldemort." Ginny said softly.

Molly gave a yelp of surprise. "What'd you say his name for? Unless…" She continued thoughtfully, "He's not around anymore in your time? How old are you anyway?"

"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself. He's definitely still around. And I'm 18." Ginny responded. "Also, I know why Dad got called to the ministry."

Molly looked at her expectantly.

"Voldemort," Molly refrained from making any noise this time, but flinched terribly, "Was defeated last night. Halloween 1981."

"You mean He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is gone?" Molly questioned in awe. "Dumbledore finally did it?"

"No." Ginny said sadly. "It was Harry Potter."

"Who's Harry Potter?"

"Wow, he'd give anything to hear someone say that." Ginny commented.

"Do you know him?" Molly sounded impressed.

"He's my boyfriend."

"Wouldn't he be a little old for you? I mean, he must be at least my age now, what with defeating the most powerful dark wizard of all time and all. Then add eighteen years onto that..."

"And he'd be nineteen." Ginny informed her mother. "Harry Potter is a little over a year old now. No one knows for sure how he did it, but he's the first person to survive the killing curse."

"I wonder how he did that?" Molly said thoughtfully.

Ginny shrugged. "All I know is that his mother died to save him. And Voldemort killed his father right before killing his mother. Harry's an orphan now."

"Poor dear." Molly commented. "What'll happen to him now?"

"He'll go to his-" Ginny stopped suddenly, remembering something Destiny had said.

"Where is he going?" Molly asked.

"I have to go." Ginny said, getting up quickly. "There's something I have to do."

Molly look disappointed. "Will I see you again?"

Ginny smiled. "Very soon. Next time I see you, I'll explain everything." She hesitated only briefly before continuing, "But there's something you could do for me."

"What?"

"If Percy finds a rat, let him keep it, but send me a letter with Errol. He'll be able to find me." Ginny said confidently. "And maybe you shouldn't tell anyone about me either," She added as an afterthought.

"Alright. Well, I guess I'll be seeing you soon Ginny." Molly smiled at her daughter.

Ginny smiled back, then turned and walked towards the door. Upon exiting the house, she walked the short distance to the lane in front of the house. Turning on the spot, Ginny saw Molly watching from the door, right before she apparated to a park in Little Whinging.

It wasn't a park she had ever been to before. In fact, she had never actually been to any part of Little Whinging, let alone Surrey, before this very moment. However, Harry had told her about this park on several occasions. She recognized it easily from all of his descriptions. Ginny was interrupted from her thoughts by the noises of a motorcycle spurring to life. Looking up, she caught a glimpse of it flying away, Hagrid's sobs easily heard above the noise of the engine.

Being cautious once more, Ginny exited the park and began walking towards Privet Drive. As she turned onto the now well lit street, Ginny heard a faint popping noise signifying Dumbledore's departure. Walking down the street, Ginny stopped in front of Number Four. It looked just like all of the other houses on the street, except sitting on the front porch was what appeared to be a small bundle of blankets.

Harry James Potter.

Smiling to herself, Ginny walked up the path, to the porch. Crouching down, she first picked up the envelope and slipped it into the pocket of her robes. Then, she gently picked up the bundle of blankets holding the baby boy within them. Harry Potter turned in his sleep, clutching at the space where the letter had just laid.

Now smiling at the little boy in her arms, Ginny turned on the spot and apparated the two of them away from Privet Drive; away to give Harry Potter a second chance at a better life.

**Rewritten 1/12/12**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer-I only own Destiny, who isn't even in this chapter, but who really cares about that?**

**Chapter Two**

Ginny and little Harry made a happy little non-family.

She had found them a small cottage in an entirely muggle portion of the village of Godric's Hollow. She figured that this was the last place Dumbledore would think of to look for the missing boy; the place he had originally come from. Plus, as Harry grew older, he could visit his parents' graves; it was something the Harry that Ginny had known had never been able to do before. Several protective charms, spells, and enchantments later, and Ginny was positive that no wizard would discover who was really living in the cottage unless they were really looking, and very closely at that.

The two of them got along well together from the beginning. Ginny suspected that this was because her red hair might remind the baby of his mother's. But of course, Harry knew Ginny wasn't Lily. Using the few words he knew, Harry learned to call her 'Aunt Gin,' which was something that made Ginny quite happy. As much as she had been in love with her boyfriend, the older Harry, she knew this obviously wasn't him. In the few short days they had been together, Ginny had grown to love Harry like a nephew, and nothing else. He was, after all, just a baby.

And finally, more than a week later, the day came when a much younger-looking Errol flew in through the window. Ginny had been in the midst of feeding Harry breakfast. Both had looked up at the owl' entrance, and Harry clapped his hands together, a huge grin of delight on his face.

"Pad!" He announced happily. That, along with Da, Mama, Moon, and Worm, was the majority of his still-young vocabulary.

Ginny smiled at the little boy as she relieved Errol of his burden. He flew off almost immediately, but not before a slight detour for Ginny's abandoned toast. Looking at the envelope, Ginny recognized the handwriting as her mother's. Eagerly, she ripped it open.

_Dear Ginny, _the letter began

_This morning, Percy woke up and found a rat sitting on his windowsill. I've let him keep it for the time being, but you had mentioned something about a rat. Percy has named him Scabbers._

_You're welcome to come over today around noon, to see about the rat. Quite frankly, I don't like it much, but Percy has absolutely fallen in love with it. Oh, and you're quite welcome to stay for lunch as well._

_Hope to see you soon,_

_Molly_

Ginny looked up from the letter to find Harry looking at her patiently. He sat so still for a child that Ginny had to smile. He gave her his large, nearly toothless grin in return.

"So Harry, are you ready to see your Uncle Padfoot again?"

* * *

Ginny flooed to the Burrow with Harry securely in her arms promptly at noon. They exited the fireplace to find Molly waiting patiently at the kitchen table. She had jumped up from her chair when she saw Ginny, but stopped dead in surprise when she saw what the younger woman was holding.

"Who is that?" Molly asked curiously. "You didn't mention having children before. Besides, you're a bit young to be making me a grandmother, don't you think?"

"This," Ginny began, "Is Harry Potter."

"_What_?"

"This-"

"I heard you." Molly cut in. "I meant the other kind of what."

"Er...alright." Ginny said uncertainly.

"How did you end up with him?" Molly questioned. "Dumbledore's practically hysterical as a result of him going missing. The _Daily Prophet_ is having a field day as well, what with Voldemort's downfall, which isn't helping matters; everyone wants to see the Boy-Who-Lived, as the _Prophet's _taken to calling him. But, publicly at least, Dumbledore has only said that Harry is in a safe place, where he'll stay until he's old enough to attend Hogwarts. However, I've heard he was absolutely livid after he discovered that Harry wasn't where he was supposed to be."

"Then maybe he shouldn't leave babies on doorsteps." Ginny snapped, unable to stop herself, her anger with Dumbledore getting the better of her. "Whether you approve or not, I did this for Harry's own good. You have no idea what his life was like in my time."

"Then why don't you tell me." Molly challenged. "After all, you did say you'd tell me everything the next time I saw you."

"Fine." Ginny said curtly, pulling out a chair from the kitchen table and sitting down with Harry in her lap. "You may want to sit down though. We're talking about a story that's going to span seventeen years. It's pretty lengthy."

Molly obligingly sat down in her previously abandoned chair.

"Now then," Ginny started, "It all began in Halloween night, 1981. Peter Pettigrew, one of James' best friends and the Potter's Secret Keeper, betrayed them. Peter had secretly been working for Voldemort, who had been after Harry. Peter told Voldemort where he could find the Potter's. So, he went to their house and killed James, then Lily. He tried to kill Harry, but something went wrong and it didn't work. The spell backfired, and Voldemort was the one who ended up dead, not Harry. Although he didn't necessarily stay dead."

With that introduction, Ginny spent the next half hour relating to Molly every single thing that Harry had ever told her about his life. And, to her credit, Molly was a good listener. True, her eyes had gone wide in horror when Ginny revealed Scabbers' true identity, but she hadn't interrupted. Even when Ginny finished her tale with Harry's return to Hogwarts and the ensuing battle, Molly didn't move. She just sat there silent and motionless, staring at the little boy how asleep in Ginny's arms. Finally, she looked up at Ginny.

"That poor boy." Molly said softly. "To have that much responsibility thrust upon him? What in Merlin's name was Dumbledore thinking? You just make sure you take good care of Harry now. I'll be here for you whenever you need me."

"Don't worry, I will." Ginny said reassuringly. "Now, where is Scabbers?"

"I'll go get him." Molly said quickly, pushing her chair back from the table and standing up as she spoke.

She hurried off, and a minute later returned carrying a fat, sleeping rat. Ginny could faintly hear a little boy positively wailing somewhere above them. It was definitely Percy. For some unexplainable reason that Ginny had never quite understood, her older brother had loved that rat, though by the time he got Hermes he had been more than happy to bestow Scabbers upon Ron. Molly quickly put the rat on the table. Ginny leaned forward to examine it. There was no doubt about it. This was Peter Pettigrew; the missing toe confirmed it.

"Do you think you could watch Harry for me, for a bit?" Ginny questioned. "I have to go take Peter here to visit a few old friends."

"Not a problem." Molly replied. "You just make sure he gets what he deserves."

Ginny smiled wanly as she handed Molly the still-sleeping boy. She then proceeded to conjure up a cage and put the rat in it. Ginny stood up from the table and headed over to the door.

"Lily and James' funeral is today." Ginny stated. "That's probably where I'll find Remus."

Molly only had time to nod before Ginny was out the door and gone.

Ginny first apparated back to her home in Godric's Hollow before setting off on foot for her destination. She and Harry lived just within walking distance of the cemetery (of course, with Godric's Hollow being such a small town, they actually lived within walking distance of just about everything). She arrived just as the majority of the people were leaving. Only one solitary figure remained at the graves.

Slowly, Ginny approached the much younger version of the man she knew to be Remus Lupin, but who could not possibly know her. Silently, she stood beside him. After a few minutes, he turned to go, but stopped suddenly when he saw someone else standing there.

"Who are you?" Remus asked. He had been close with Lily and James; he knew their friends. But he did not recognize this girl.

Ginny turned so that she was standing face to face with him instead of the headstone. "For now, know that I'm just a friend. Here, take this. Sirius is innocent, and this is the evidence that is going to set him free."

Remus just stood there, looking at her as if she was insane. Which, given the current circumstances, you could say he had good reason to believe so. His eyes were only drawn away from her face when he heard the high-pitched squeaks now emitting from the cage she was holding out to him. A look of recognition passed across his face.

"No." He said softly. "No, that's impossible. He's dead. Sirius killed him."

"No he didn't." Ginny contradicted him. "Sirius realized the truth and went after the real traitor: Peter Pettigrew. Sirius and Peter switched places without telling anyone. Peter betrayed Lily and James. Peter killed all of those muggles. Peter cut off his finger and faked his own death. Peter is the one who betrayed all of you, not Sirius."

"Sirius is innocent, and they've locked him up in Azkaban?" Realization seemed to dawn on Remus as he snatched the cage away from Ginny. "I'm taking him to Dumbledore, and getting Sirius freed from that hellhole. Some justice system we have."

"That's the spirit." Ginny said encouragingly. "Just don't tell Dumbledore about me. I don't need him to know. Take all the credit for yourself if you must."

"Very well." Remus obliged, and he started to walk away.

"Oh, and send me an owl when Sirius is free!" Ginny called after him. "There's someone I want both of you to see."

Remus waved his arm in acknowledgement before apparating away; he was off to Hogsmeade so he could talk to Dumbledore.

Ginny smiled to herself. Everything seemed to be on the right track now. Harry _was _going to get the loving family he deserved. Sirius would be free soon. And Peter would be behind bars. Everything was working out perfectly. From the look of things now, nothing big would really happen for about another nine and a half years or so...when Harry would get his Hogwarts letter, and Dumbledore would finally find them.

**Rewritten 1/12/12**


	3. Chapter 3

**disclaimer-I only own Destiny. Everything else obviously isn't mine, or else I would be rich.**

**Chapter Three**

As she looked out the window into the backyard, Ginny couldn't help but smile at the scene out there. Remus was sitting in the grass reading his book, while Harry played with a giant black dog.

Shortly after her first visit to the Godric's Hollow Cemetery, their little family had increased by two. Having known Sirius and Remus in the future, Ginny had immediately trusted them with her secret. So, here they were, five years and a few additions to the house later.

While Harry wasn't spoiled, he still lacked for nothing. His 'aunt' and 'uncles' were making sure that he led the life he deserved. The life Dumbledore had denied him.

And speaking of Dumbledore, he had been easier to fool and avoid than Ginny had expected. He had only once appeared in the town of Godric's Hollow since Lily and James' death's, and that had been to attend their funeral. He had often enough sent letters to both Sirius and Remus, but none of them so much as hinted that he knew that they knew where Harry was.

But he was still looking.

First it had been daily, then weekly, now there were monthly articles in the Daily Prophet, devoted to the absence of the wizarding world's young hero. Of course, the only direct quote they ever contained from Dumbledore was the one he had originally given five years previously when he had still thought Harry to be safely living with his only living blood relatives.

But that young hero was living oblivious to all of this.

When Harry wasn't in school, he either spent his time at home, with Ginny and the two Marauders, or at the Burrow, normally with Ron, sometimes Ginny too. Ginny could already see her younger self's obvious nervousness whenever Harry was around. Already knowing the outcome of it all, Molly and Ginny often shared a laugh over it, knowing what the outcome of their association with each other had been in Ginny's time.

Ginny smiled once more as she looked up to see a very happy-looking Harry running towards the house. Mere seconds later, he burst into the kitchen.

"Aunt Ginny!" He exclaimed.

"Yes Harry?"

"Guess what Padfoot said, guess what he said!" Harry said excitedly.

Ginny bit her lip in mock concentration. "Hmm, did he say he was going to take you flying, and hopefully on a broom, not his bike?"

Harry gasped. "How did you know?" He asked in awe.

"Because Padfoot wants you to be just like your dad." Ginny answered, ruffling the little boy's hair affectionately. "Now go tell Moony and Padfoot that it's time for lunch."

"Okay." Harry said obediently.

Harry walked over to the kitchen door leading into the backyard and he stuck his head out of it.

"FOOD!" Harry hollered, more to the dog than the werewolf.

And no sooner had he said this, than the great black dog came bounding into the house. It skidded to a halt in front of the kitchen table, and in the blink of an eye, became a rather handsome looking man.

Ginny turned to face him, hands on her hips, eyebrows raised.

"What?" Sirius questioned, looking confused. "I didn't do anything yet."

"Exactly." Ginny turned to Harry now. "Harry, he forgot again."

Harry giggled slightly, and took Sirius' much larger hand in his own small one.

"Come on Padfoot." He said in an over-exaggerated whisper. "We need to wash our hands."

Sirius groaned but allowed Harry to lead him to the sink. "Sometimes, you remind me of Lily way too much. Maybe you're channeling her spirit or something."

Ginny rolled her eyes, before her eyes alighted on a heavy parchment envelope sitting on the counter. "Oh here, I forgot. This letter came for you a few minutes ago."

"Ooh yay!" Sirius exclaimed with a rather girlish squeal. "I never get mail!"

"You get a paper every morning." Remus said, entering the kitchen now. "And Sirius, you squeal like a little girl."

Sirius ignored him however, his eyes were quickly scanning the parchment in front of him. There was a look on his face which could only be described as one of pure joy. When he was done reading, he looked up, his mouth open as if he was about to say something. But he shut it quickly when he saw Harry sitting there, staring at him intently. He rose his eyebrows at Remus, who got the silent message, and turned to the young boy beside him.

"Harry, do you think you could take this to my room for me?" Remus held out the book he had been reading before outside.

Reluctantly, Harry accepted the book, and dragged his feet slowly out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Sirius turned back to the two remaining people in the room.

"I have good news and bad news." He announced. "And since the good news is so good, I think I'll share it first. My 'mum' finally kicked the bucket. She's dead."

"That's _good _news?" Ginny said exasperatedly. But she was smiling. She knew all about Sirius' non-existent relationship with his family.

"So what's the bad news?" Remus asked casually, though he looked apprehensive.

Sirius turned to Ginny now. "You have to take Harry on a picnic. Now."

"The letter said I had to take Harry on a picnic?" Ginny asked, confused.

"No." Sirius said. "The letter said Dumbledore was coming over."

Just then, Harry re-entered the kitchen.

"Hey Harry!" Ginny said brightly. "We're going on a picnic."

* * *

Dumbledore had wanted to talk about Sirius' mother's lack of a will.

And because there was no will, Sirius got everything, being his mother's only surviving family member.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

"Come on Harry, let's go to the playground." Ginny insisted.

"I'm not five you know." Harry said.

"Yeah, you're six." Ginny replied. "And what's with the attitude mister? You love the park."

"I'm sorry Aunt Ginny." Harry said softly. "I just don't understand why Moony and Padfoot couldn't come."

Ginny wiped a fake tear from her eye. "You mean you don't want to spend time with your favorite aunt?"

"You're my _only_ aunt." Harry pointed out.

_Not true. _Ginny thought to herself. But aloud she said, "which automatically makes me your favorite."

Harry smiled at this and started walking towards the playground.

As they neared it however, they found that it wasn't quite as deserted as they had originally thought. Ginny's jaw dropped when she saw the bushy-haired little girl sitting by herself on the swings. Then she smiled to herself. What were the chances that _she _would be here, now, when they were? Destiny was obviously in a good mood.

Ginny stopped suddenly and knelt down in front of Harry. "Why don't you go over there and talk to that girl? She looks pretty lonely."

"Ok." Harry agreed happily. He loved making new friends.

Harry walked over and sat on the swing next to the one the girl was on.

"Hello." He began. "My name is Harry Potter. What's yours?"

The girl's head jerked up in surprise. She hadn't noticed anyone coming over.

"Um...hello." She replied hesitantly. "I'm Hermione Granger."

Harry beamed at her. "Wanna play with me? Aunt Ginny can get kinda boring."

"Sure." Hermione replied happily. She didn't have many friends her own age, and was amazed that this total stranger, a boy no less, had come talk to her. And he had invited her to play with him!

Ginny watched them from a distance. She knew, from the many stories her best friend had told her, that Hermione had an elderly aunt who lived in Godric's Hollow. Ginny had no idea why she hadn't remembered this before.

Ginny grinned as she saw the bond form between the two new friends. Neither would ever know how much Harry had changed things for the better, just with that one simple act of kindness.

At that moment, Ginny could barely imagine the endless possibilities that had just appeared. And all with just the words 'Wanna play with me?'

**Rewritten 1/12/12**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer-If I was J.K. Rowling, I wouldn't have to come up with excuses for not owning Harry Potter, because (and I really hate to state the obvious here) but if I was J.K. Rowling then I actually would own Harry Potter. Alas, I am not J.K. Rowling.**

**Chapter Four**

Harry was excited. Really, he was. He just wasn't showing it very well.

Who wouldn't be excited about going to Hogwarts?

Well, Ron wasn't exactly excited. But that didn't count. He had a really good excuse. In fact, he had _five_ really good excuses.

Harry didn't.

There was really only one reason Harry didn't want to go to Hogwarts. And one reason alone. He didn't want to leave Hermione behind.

Harry and Hermione had been best friends since they had met at a park near his home about five years ago. Hermione had been visiting her aunt, but had gotten tired of sitting with the grown-ups. Mrs. Granger had given Hermione permission to go to the nearby playground as long as she didn't talk to strangers. As it had turned out, Mrs. Granger hadn't minded so much that Hermione did talk to a stranger, because she had made a friend as well.

Harry sighed.

How was he going to tell his best friend that they wouldn't see each other until next summer?

* * *

Hermione was worried.

At first she had been excited about the letter. She had wanted to tell Harry right away. But she couldn't.

The letter (and that professor who had delivered it) had said that, excluding immediate family members, she wasn't allowed to tell anyone that she was a witch. There was something called the International Statute of Secrecy in her new world which outlawed doing so.

A few days after the letter arrived, Hermione and her parents had gone to London to get her school supplies. There, they had been met by an extremely large, and kind, man. His name was Hagrid, and he was to help the Granger's get Hermione's new things.

Along with the ones she needed for school, Hermione had bought a few books about magic in the twentieth century. For some reason though, Hagrid's eyes had filled with tears when he saw the book entitled The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts. So naturally, that was the book she cracked open first when she arrived home hours later.

Upon opening the book, Hermione scanned the table of contents, and was about to flip the page when something caught her eye.

_Chapter 102: Harry Potter's Defeat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named_

Harry Potter?

Could this possibly be the same Harry Potter she had been best friends with for the past five years?

_No, _Hermione thought to herself. _That's impossible. Harry can't be a wizard. And he's only eleven. He can't have defeated a dark wizard already._

But all the same, that was the chapter that Hermione decided to read first. Honestly, whoever said you actually had to read the chapters in a book in numerical order?

* * *

The month of August passed quickly for the two friends, with neither one of them telling the other about their imminent departure. But on the morning of August 31, Harry woke up with the sole intent of telling Hermione that, in all probability, he wouldn't be seeing her until Christmas break.

But _how_ was he going to tell her?

He had a phone, but it would seem too impersonal to call her to tell her the news he had known for over a month already.

It would be best to tell her in person, but she didn't live in Godric's Hollow. Her parents just visited her aunt a lot. But maybe Hermione would be there today. Last time he'd talked to her, she'd said something about school starting soon. Maybe her parents would want to get in one last visit of the summer.

After breakfast, Ginny watched Harry leave for the park with a knowing look on her face. This was one of the things about his aunt the unnerved Harry. The way she just seemed to know things was just creepy. Like how Aunt Ginny had known, before it even came, the exact date on which Harry's Hogwarts letter would arrive.

Upon reaching the park, Harry ambled over to the swings he and Hermione had first bonded on all those years ago. Whenever one of them wanted to talk to the other, this was where they sat. So now, Harry sat upon the very swing he had occupied the very first time he had ever met Hermione.

Within five minutes, Hermione sat next to Harry on her swing. They just sat in silence for a minute.

"I'm going to boarding school this year." Harry said finally breaking the silence. "Aunt Ginny, Moony, Padfoot, and even my parents all went there apparently."

Hermione was still quiet for a moment. Then, "I got accepted at a new school, too. It's in Scotland."

The two friends looked up at each other at the same time.

"I'll miss you." They said together. Each smiled at the other.

"But I'll be home for Christmas." Hermione offered. "We'll see each other then, right?"

"Yeah." Harry agreed. "So, when do you leave?"

"Tomorrow." Hermione said softly. "You?"

"Same. So I guess this is goodbye until Christmas, huh?"

Hermione nodded. Suddenly, she stood up. "Well, I should be going. Mum and dad are bringing me to London tonight. I have to catch the train to school tomorrow morning."

"Bye Hermione!" Harry called as she started walking away. "I'll see you at Christmas."

Hermione waved her hand in acknowledgment.

And so, the two friends began what they thought would be their longest separation from each other since their initial meeting. But, in all actuality, it would definitely be the shortest separation of them all...

* * *

Harry woke at five o'clock the next morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep. He got up and pulled on his jeans because he didn't want to walk into the station in his wizard's robes-he'd change on the train. He checked his Hogwarts list yet again to make sure he had everything he needed; saw that his new owl, Hedwig, was shut safely in her cage; and then paced the room, waiting for the rest of his family to get up. Two hours later, Harry's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into Ginny's car; Sirius had packed a snack of a feast for the ride; and they had set off.

They reached King's Cross at half past twelve. Together, Remus and Sirius managed to get Harry's trunk onto a cart, which Sirius was then forced to wheel into the station. The four of them stopped in front of the wall separating platforms nine and ten. After making sure no one was watching, they went through it in pairs.

On the other side, Harry was met by his first glimpse of the Hogwarts Express. However, it was difficult to make out the scarlet steam engine through the throng of people on the platform.

The first few carriages on the train were already packed with students, some hanging out of the windows to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Harry now pushed his cart off down the train in search of an empty seat.

Once he found one, Remus and Sirius loaded the heavy trunk into the compartment. They had barely accomplished this when the Weasley's arrived, and the two marauders were enlisted in the task of loading Ron's trunk into the compartment as well.

Meanwhile, Percy had abandoned the family for the prefect's compartment, with the twins not far behind him looking for their friend Lee. Harry and Ron were talking excitedly about what Hogwarts would be like, while the younger Ginny stared wistfully at the train. Then, Molly and the older Ginny started lecturing the two boys about how to behave, whilst Remus and Sirius made faces at the two women behind their backs. And, while all of this was happening, at the other end of the platform a bushy-haired girl was hugging her parents good-bye, ready to start her new adventure as a witch.

Just then, the train whistle sounded.

"Hurry up!" Molly and Ginny said.

The two new students got on the train and waved good-bye to their families as the train started to pull out of the station. The five of them disappeared as the train rounded a corner, and Harry and Ron went to sit down. They discussed Quidditch for a bit, then were quiet for a time, just watching the scenery pass.

Other than the trolley-lady at about half past twelve, the only person to come to their compartment was a round-faced boy looking for a toad. Harry and Ron apologetically said they hadn't seen it, and the boy left.

Harry then busied himself with opening yet another one of the boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans they had bought, just as the door opened for the third time that day.

"Has anyone seen a toad?" A familiar sounding girl's voice asked. "Neville's lost one."

Harry's head shot up and his jaw dropped.

"Hermione?" He asked incredulously.

The girl, in her new Hogwarts robes, looked in his direction, and a grin lit up her face.

"Harry!" She answered joyfully.

As the two friends reunited, miles away, Ginny's face broke out in a smile.

"They've done it." She said softly. "They've forged the trio."

"How do you know?" Sirius questioned.

Ginny glanced at him.

"I just do." Was all she said.

**Rewritten 1/12/12**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer-I read this really good disclaimer somewhere, and I was going to copy it, but then I'd have to have an entirely separate disclaimer that said 'This is not my disclaimer saying I do not own Harry Potter, because I copied it from somewhere…but I still don't own Harry Potter.'**

**Chapter Five**

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was anxious.

Anxious for Minerva to come back with the new first years.

Anxious for the sorting to begin.

Anxious to see if, after all these years, Harry Potter had finally been found.

Ten years ago, Dumbledore had thought he was doing the right thing. The thing that would be best for little Harry. The thing that would ensure his protection from Voldemort and his followers that were still at large. And of course, the right thing had been to leave baby Harry on the doorstep of his muggle aunt. He would be protected there.

Not long afterwards, Albus Dumbledore had come to realize that that had not been the smartest decision he had ever made.

All of these years later, he was still berating himself for making such a foolish mistake. How could he have been so stupid as to just leave the boy on a doorstep without watching to see if someone—the _correct_ someone—found him? Dumbledore was interrupted from these musings, however, when the doors to the Great Hall were pushed open. In walked Professor McGonagall, leading a group of nervous-looking first years.

Dumbledore leaned forward eagerly.

The sorting was about to begin...

* * *

"Gin, what's wrong?" Sirius questioned.

He was leaning against the doorway, watching Ginny pace nervously in front of the fireplace in the living room of their cottage in Godric's Hollow. Now that Harry was gone the place seemed incredibly empty, and Ginny spun around in surprise at the sound of Sirius' voice.

"Hmm? Oh...nothing." Ginny said slowly. "I was just thinking."

"Abut Harry? He'll be fine." Sirius said reassuringly. "He'll have reached Hogwarts by now. He has Dumbledore to protect him."

"That's the problem." Ginny stated with a frown. "Harry has Dumbledore now. And Dumbledore isn't going to waste time trying to find out where Harry's been for the past ten years. I can't help but feel as if we're not quite as prepared to deal with that as we should be."

Sirius paused for a moment, reflecting on this. "True. Very true." He took another breath and looked at Ginny once again before continuing, "So, what are you going to do about that?"

A sudden grin lit up Ginny's face, making Sirius back away quickly fearing for his life.

"It's not what _I _am going to do," She said sweetly, "It's what _you _are going to do..."

* * *

Harry had been overjoyed when he was sorted into Gryffindor, just like his parents had been. He had been disconcerted when the headmaster kept staring at him all throughout dinner. He had been full enough to burst once the meal was over, and the food magically disappeared. And he had been exhausted by the time he saw his dormitory for the first time. But what he saw the next morning during breakfast made Harry Potter surprised beyond all belief.

And what Harry Potter saw the next morning at breakfast (his first at Hogwarts), was his godfather bursting into the Great Hall and running up to the staff table like a maniac.

Dumbledore looked up, and there was an amused expression on his face when he saw who was there.

"Mr. Black," Dumbledore began pleasantly once Sirius had reached the staff table, as if it was an ordinary occurrence for former students to randomly appear at the school on the first day of classes, "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"I...need...to...talk...to...you..." Sirius gasped out. "In private."

"Very well," Dumbledore said agreeably.

He stood up and led his former student to the chamber that stood directly behind the staff table. Once they were both inside, Sirius made sure to close the door securely behind himself.

"Have a seat, Mr. Black," Dumbledore said, indicating an armchair across from the one he had just situated himself in. Sirius sat down obligingly. "Now, what is so important that you needed to come discuss it with me right now?"

"Voldemort," Sirius promptly replied.

The twinkle vanished immediately from Dumbledore's eyes.

"What about him?" He asked urgently.

"I know where he is," Sirius replied simply.

"You do? How?" Dumbledore questioned suspiciously.

"I have a...source," Sirius said slowly, "Who wishes to remain anonymous. Nonetheless, I know she's telling the truth. Voldemort is possessing, so to say, the body of none other than Professor Quirrell."

Dumbledore just sat there in a shocked silence, though there was a slight frown on his face at the suggestion that one of his teachers was being possessed by an extremely powerful dark wizard.

"Unfortunately," Sirius continued, "The only way to get Voldemort...out of...Quirrell, is to kill Quirrell. Or injure him very badly. Either way would work, I suppose. Voldemort has no use for the weak, especially when he is depending on them in order to stay alive."

"I don't suppose you could be persuaded to tell me how you know all of this?" Dumbledore asked slowly.

"No," Sirius replied immediately. "It's...complicated. But it is all the truth."

Dumbledore sighed and, for the briefest of moments, Sirius caught a glimpse of how very old and world-weary the aging Headmaster had become.

"Can you at least explain to me how my Defense Against the Dark Arts professor came to be possessed by Lord Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked, having pulled himself together once more. "Assuming, for the moment, that your source is completely reliable, I still find it hard to believe that Quirinus would succumb to such a situation."

"It happened while he was travelling abroad," Sirius said vaguely. "Just by chance, Quirrel happened upon the place where Voldemort has been in hiding for the past ten years. I'd imagine Voldemort wouldn't have spared Quirrel a second glance if it wasn't for the fact that he's a teacher here at Hogwarts. And from there…well, we all know how persuasive Voldemort can be when it comes to gathering followers. No matter how it happened, the fact remains that Voldemort is here and we need to separate him from Quirrel."

"And I'm sure you have a few suggestions on that matter, don't you?" Dumbledore said after a moment of contemplative silence.

Sirius grinned. "Just one."

Dumbledore rose his eyebrows.

"Harry Potter," Was all Sirius said.

If possible, Dumbledore's eyebrows rose even further.

"And how do you suppose Harry Potter can help to fix the situation?" He questioned.

"Because he's Harry Potter," Sirius answered simply.

"Do you even know where he is?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well, here, of course," Sirius stated, opting to play along with the Headmaster's questioning. "He's eleven years old, isn't he? Are you telling me he _didn't_ show up for his first year of school yesterday?"

"You seem totally unfazed by the fact that your godson might have finally been found," Dumbledore commented in an offhand manner.

"Are you crazed, in the head?" Sirius questioned his former headmaster suspiciously.

"Some people think so." Dumbledore stated happily. That twinkle was back in his eyes again.

"O-_kay_, then..." Sirius said slowly. "Back to Harry being found. Of course I'm unfazed! He's a Potter. They do strange things like disappear for ten years, throwing the wizarding world into a state of depression."

"You seem to have thought this all out very well," Dumbledore said. "About the fact that Mr. Potter would be here, I mean. Which, as a matter of fact, he is."

"I've had ten years," Sirius replied dryly. "And what's with all of the questions? You don't honestly think that _I _had something to do with Harry's disappearance, do you?"

Dumbledore took a moment to respond, his gaze thoughtful.

"I don't think that you necessarily had something to do with his initial disappearance. I do, however, believe that you have had something to do with the fact that Mr. Potter hasn't been seen for the past ten years."

"Well I haven't," Sirius said defiantly. "I had nothing to do with his disappearance, and it is definitely not _my_ fault that nobody could find him until he showed up here yesterday."

"If you say so." Dumbledore said pleasantly, ignoring the rising tension in the room. "Now, how do you propose Harry Potter can help remove Lord Voldemort from Professor Quirrell's body?"

"Well..."

* * *

Breakfast would be over soon, and Sirius and Professor Dumbledore still hadn't come out of the room. Hermione was on the verge of telling Harry that he could see his godfather later, when the door opened once more and both men exited. While Dumbledore resumed his place at the staff table, Sirius strode down the space between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. He stopped just in front of the trio. Kneeling down next to Harry, he stuck his hand out.

"Hello, my name is Sirius Black," Sirius winked at the trio. "I'm your godfather, Harry."

"Really?" Harry asked, picking up on the act.

Sirius nodded, "I've missed you kid." He leaned forward and gave Harry a hug, slipping a letter into his pocket at the same time. "We all have," he added in a whisper.

After a moment, Harry broke the hug.

"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Black. Really, it was. But my friends and I should be getting to class now," Harry said.

Sirius mock frowned. "Very well. But never- and I really mean _never_- call me 'Mr. Black' again. It makes me feel so old."

"Mr. Black!" A sharp voice said from behind them.

"That just makes me feel like I've done something wrong," Sirius muttered. He turned around. "What can I do for you, Minnie?"

"You can let these students get to class. Unless you care to explain to their Potions professor as to why they are late?" Professor McGonagall said. "And you may also continue to call me 'Professor'."

"Sure, Professor Minnie. So, they still got ol' Sluggy for Potions? Never really liked that bloke," Sirius commented.

"Perhaps that was because he kept you in detention for the majority of third year, because you blew up half of the dungeons," McGonagall said with a small hint of amusement in her voice.

"Perhaps," Sirius agreed contemplatively.

"And Professor Slughorn retired years ago," McGonagall continued. "The current Potions Master is Severus Snape."

Sirius' eyes lit up with glee.

"Ooh, can I go tell him why they're late? Can I, Minnie? I havn't seen ol' Snivelly in years. Please Minnie?"

"You three, class!" McGonagall barked at Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Noting pleasantly to herself how quick the three were to oblige, she then turned to Sirius with a stern look on her face. "And as for you, Mr. Black, you leave Professor Snape alone."

"That just makes me feel like Christmas was cancelled," Sirius muttered as he walked away.

* * *

Later that evening, after dinner, Harry, Ron, and Hermione holed themselves up in a corner of the library so they could read the letter Sirius had slipped to Harry during breakfast.

_Dear Harry, _the letter began in his Aunt Ginny's handwriting.

_I hope your first day at Hogwarts has been fun. Congratulations on making Gryffindor! I know your parents would be so proud of you right now. But on to some more pressing matters._

_If all has gone well, Sirius has set up the foundation for his placement at Hogwarts. Don't ask about that now, we don't know anything for sure yet._

_As for your personal life story, I just wanted to review: you have never met Sirius, Remus, or even Ron before in your life. And you didn't meet Hermione in a park near your house—in fact, you hadn't met her before the train ride. As for me, best not to mention me to anyone. I will admit that there are some important things about myself that I haven't told you, but when the time comes, I will. If anyone (Dumbledore in particular) asks about your life, tell them you live with muggle relatives. Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley Dursley. I will tell you right now that Petunia was your mother's sister. If you want an explanation about why you've never really met before, ask Sirius what he thinks of Petunia._

_Once again Harry, congratulations on making Gryffindor. And please, please, please, please don't forget about the story you're supposed to be sticking to._

_Good luck in school!_

_We all can't wait to see you at Christmastime._

_Lots of Love,_

_Aunt Ginny_

_PS-Tell Ron and Hermione that I say 'hi'. And tell Hermione that I'm counting on her to keep you boys out of trouble._

_PPS-I almost forgot, STAY AWAY FROM QUIRRELL! Except for in class, of course. You are in no way, shape, or form allowed to follow your father's example and cut class so much. Take after your mother, she was a model student. Love you, Harry._

Harry looked up from the letter to see two very confused expressions.

"What?" He questioned.

"Harry," Hermione began, confusion written clearly across her face, "Have you sent your aunt any letters yet?"

"No."

"Then how does she know that I'm here, at Hogwarts?" Asked Hermione.

"And how does she know that you're in Gryffindor?" Ron questioned.

Harry shrugged. "Aunt Ginny has some sort of weird sixth sense when it comes to things taking place in my life."

Hermione shook her head slightly, staring intently at the letter in front of them on the table.

"Something about your aunt just doesn't add up, Harry," Hermione finally said. "Like, how is she even related to you? Your father was an only child, and it sounds like your mother only had this Petunia woman for a sister. And what secret could your aunt possibly have that she doesn't want you to know?"

Both Harry and Ron shrugged cluelessly.

"She's just always been Aunt Ginny," Harry replied. "How we're actually related has never come up."

Hermione looked up at the pair resolutely.

"Well I think we should find out."

**Rewritten 1/15/12**


	6. Chapter 6

**disclaimer-not mine.**

**Chapter Six**

"He's going to let us do it!" Sirius announced to the silent house as he walked through the front door. "Ginny? Where are you?"

There was no reply. Sirius paused mid-step, a frown creasing his face. Where was she? His features smoothed out once more, however, when he heard the faint sound of laughter coming from the backyard. Making his way out there, Sirius found Ginny and, surprisingly, the younger Ginny Weasley. Both looked up when they heard the kitchen door close behind him.

"What did he say?" The older Ginny asked immediately.

"He said yes," Sirius answered.

"Yes!" Ginny exclaimed triumphantly.

Sirius turned to the younger Ginny now, "And to what do we owe the pleasure of your company, young lady?"

Before she could answer, however, Remus appeared behind Sirius, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Wow…Sirius." He commented. "Just now, you almost sounded…mature."

Sirius stuck his tongue out at him in response.

Both Ginny's giggled.

"Mum sent me to invite you three over for dinner," The younger one continued. "She said the Burrow is too empty with everyone at school again."

Sirius sighed. "I love your mum. I don't think I'd be able to survive without her cooking. Our Ginny here can't cook to save her life."

"Yes I can!" Ginny protested. "You're just always comparing me to all these house elves you've known, and Molly too. Just accept the fact that no one will ever be as good as her and get over it already."

Remus shook his head slowly at their argument.

"I think Padfoot has accepted his situation already, Ginny," Remus said, cutting them both off. "It's just his overlarge stomach that can't get over it."

Ginny smiled in triumph, while Sirius just looked confused. Then, a look of realization appeared on his face.

"Hey!"

* * *

"This is so weird," Hermione commented as she moved her finger down the page of a rather large library book.

"What is?" Harry asked immediately.

"I can't find her anywhere," Hermione said, looking confused. "Your aunt, Harry…there aren't any records of her. Anywhere."

At this point, Ron looked up from his book as well.

"Harry," He said slowly, "She isn't on the Potter Family Tree, either. It's almost as if she doesn't exist."

Harry just looked at his two friends in shock.

"But that's impossible," He said softly. "Aunt Ginny does exist. She has to. She raised me!"

"Maybe we just aren't looking in the right place." Hermione said consolingly. "After all, she never said she was related to your father, did she? Maybe she's on your mother's side of the family. She looks a bit like your mum, don't you think?"

"But she's a witch!" Ron protested. "Sure, you can be muggleborn, but that kind of thing doesn't usually happen twice in the same family. It's really rare."

"But it can happen, right?" Hermione questioned. "Because it would explain everything perfectly."

"Aunt Ginny isn't related to mum." Harry said, cutting Ron off as he opened his mouth to reply. "It just wouldn't fit. Aunt Ginny has to be pureblood."

"Why?" Hermione asked curiously.

Harry grinned. "I grew up to her and Moony debating what made someone a real 'pureblood', with Padfoot occasionally commenting on how it was all absolute rubbish. If she was a muggleborn, I don't think she really would have cared that much how far back you need to go in your genealogy to prove that you have 'pure' blood."

"Hold up," Ron said suddenly. "I've just thought of something."

"What?" Harry and Hermione asked impatiently.

"We're looking for someone named Ginevra, right?" Ron questioned.

Harry and Hermione both nodded.

"And we've found two people with that name," Ron continued. "But they were my great-, great-, great-aunt, or something like that, and my little sister. Right?"

Again, they both nodded.

"But we agreed that it couldn't possibly be either one of them," Hermione interjected. "It's impossible."

"No, it isn't," Ron contradicted her. "Haven't you ever heard of time turners?"

* * *

Ginny sat peacefully in the grass behind the Burrow after dinner. This was one of those little things she had missed being able to do during the war. At the very beginning, they had spent so much time living at Grimmauld Place, cramped in there with other members of the Order. Then, when they had returned to living at the Burrow, her mum had always wanted Ginny to stay indoors, where it had been deemed safer. And after that she had been at Hogwarts, where she had always spent time with multiple members of the D.A., and that was when her every move wasn't being carefully monitored by all of the Death Eaters Voldemort had placed there. The final move had been the worst—truly hidden from the outside world with her parents, three of her brothers, and, of course, Great Auntie Muriel.

Ginny couldn't suppress the shudder that she and her siblings always got at the mere thought of Muriel. Then, she smiled a bit sadly. She missed her brothers. Yes, she had gotten to witness them growing up, but she didn't think she was ever going to see her own versions of them ever again—too much had changed.

"_Ahem_," A voice said, interrupting Ginny from her thoughts, and forcing her to open her eyes, which were met by the sight of a somewhat familiar face.

"Destiny?" Ginny questioned, thoroughly surprised.

The girl before her, much younger now than at their previous meeting, grinned in response.

"Hello," Destiny said. "I suppose we've met before, haven't we?"

Ginny could only nod.

"That's nice," Destiny said pleasantly. "Anyway, I just thought it my duty to come inform you of something that could greatly jeopardize your plans for changing Harry's life."

"And what would that something be, exactly?" Ginny asked curiously.

"The trio is on the verge of figuring out who you really are," Destiny informed her. "Ron's a heck of a lot smarter than most people give him credit for, you know…when he wants to be, that is. And of course, I highly doubt Hermione will ever let herself be shown up by him again, but I digress. Thanks mostly to Ron, the trio are currently developing a very solid theory about your real identity."

Ginny just sat there for a moment in thoughtful silence. Then, she looked up at Destiny, a new resolution showing clearly on her face.

"You know, this might just work out to my advantage," Ginny stated. "I've been thinking it's about time Harry knows who I really am."

"Oh, good," Destiny said, thoroughly pleased. "I should be going then. And Ginny, do try to avoid planting nasty images in Harry's mind of himself snogging with his beloved aunt. I'm sure you understand; unfortunate consequences and all of that other lovely nonsense."

Ginny nodded, a small smile upon her face as she spoke, "Sounds like a good plan."

"Wonderful," Destiny said with another broad grin. "I'll just be going now. And don't worry, I'll be popping in from time to time, just to check up on things. I'd stay longer now, but it's the first time I've ever snuck out. But I'm sure my skills will improve with time and experience."

"Sure…" Was the only reply Ginny could come up with to this statement. "Er…I'll be seeing you, then."

"Bye," Destiny said with a small wave of her fingers, and then she was gone.

Almost lazily, Ginny stretched her arms above her head, as if the sudden appearance and then disappearance of an Angel of Destiny was a common occurrence in her everyday life.

So, the Golden Trio thought they knew her little secret.

This could get interesting.

* * *

"So let me get this straight. You think my Aunt Ginny is Ron's little sister, from the future, who came back in time to save me from some terrible fate, and is masquerading as my aunt in order to give me a chance at a better life?"

Hermione nodded happily, while Ron continued to snore loudly from his position on the common room couch.

It was well past midnight by now, and the trio, well two of them anyway, had stayed up to see if Ron's theory could be proven correct. Harry's summary was an accurate, and very brief, account of what they had been discussing for the past three or so hours.

"Impossible," Harry declared.

Hermione groaned.

"Oh, come on, Harry," She protested. "It all makes perfect sense. Your parents died, right? Well, you were supposedly put in the care of your mother's sister, Petunia. While there, you grew up with a life that would definitely not be called good. While at Hogwarts, you presumably faced many terrible and dangerous tasks that left you permanently scarred on some unseen level. And, seeing how all of this affected you in a presumably negative way, Ginny—whom you must have had a close relationship with—was somehow able to travel back in time to the night you were orphaned and allow you to have a better life."

Harry just stared at her with a dumbfounded expression upon his face.

"How on Earth did you get all of that out of Ron's explanation of time turners?" Harry asked incredulously.

Hermione just rolled her eyes at this, as if there was an obvious answer to it.

"Anyway," Hermione continued, clearly giving him up for a lost cause and nevertheless moving on, "I think we should try to contact your aunt."

Harry frowned at this.

"I don't really think we should," He said slowly. "In her letter, Aunt Ginny seemed really worried about someone else knowing who she was. A letter could be intercepted."

"Okay," Hermione allowed. "What about Sirius, though? She did say something about him being placed at Hogwarts. Maybe he's coming back here to work."

"That'd be so cool," Harry said, recalling stories he'd heard as a child from his two surrogate uncles. "Padfoot, back at Hogwarts."

"And," Hermione said, "I bet he'd know how to get a letter to your aunt. Without it being intercepted. He is a marauder, after all."

Harry nodded. "I'll think about what to write Aunt Ginny, and if Padfoot really does come to Hogwarts, I'll give it to him for her."

"Good," Hermione said as she glanced at her watch. "Oh my gosh, it's almost two in the morning! We should be in bed!"

Now it was Harry's turn to roll his eyes.

"Whatever. You go. I still have to wake up Ron," Harry said, gesturing at their still-sleeping friend.

Hermione grimaced at the thought. "Good luck with that. And don't forget about the letter."

"I won't," Harry said consolingly.

Much later, after getting Ron off the couch and into the dormitory, Harry lay awake in his bed, just thinking over everything he and Hermione (and Ron, at one point) had discussed. To him, none of it really made sense, yet.

For one, how horrible could his life had been before, that Ginny had to come to the past and risk changing the future, maybe for the worse?

Not only that, but why had Ginny, of all people, been the one to come? Surely it would have been Ron or Hermione, being his two best friends?

It just didn't make any sense.

But that was what the letter would be for. He wanted to understand why his best friend's little sister had been the one to come back and presumably save him.

Of course, that was only assuming that Aunt Ginny actually was Ron's little sister from the future.

But really, what other possible explanation could Ginny have for not wanting Dumbledore to know that she existed?

**Rewritten 3/31/12**


	7. Chapter 7

**disclaimer-I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Chapter Seven**

_Dear Aunt Ginny,_

_How come you guys never told me how good the Halloween Feast is? The food was so good, and I had a ton of fun. But guess what happened there? During the middle of dinner, a mountain troll broke into the dungeons. Professor Quirrell found it and warned everyone though, before it could hurt anyone. But while we were all eating dinner, Hermione had been in the bathroom trying to get all the dirt off her hands from Herbology or something, and she didn't know about the troll. So, of course, Ron and I had to go save her._

_McGonagall took points off, though. But don't worry, she gave them, plus a few more, right back when she found out what really happened. Honestly, was she that quick to take points when you went to Hogwarts?_

_So, it's been so much fun having Padfoot here, at Hogwarts. Don't worry, we haven't been pulling any pranks, that's what Fred and George are here for. Don't tell Molly, but Padfoot has been helping the twins prank the Slytherins almost every day. But you didn't hear that from me._

_Anyway, Aunt Ginny, Hermione has been pestering me to write this letter. She seems to think that there might be something important that you never told me. She thinks we need to talk. There are some things we wanted to ask you, but I don't think it would be safe to say them in a letter. I'm still welcome home for Christmas, right?_

_Write back soon,_

_Harry_

* * *

_Dear Harry,_

_If we told you about everything that was going to happen, then there wouldn't be anything exciting to look forward to. You're better off in the dark about Hogwarts festivities._

_So, there was a troll on Halloween? How fun. I hope you didn't destroy the girls bathroom in your mad quest for glory. And don't worry, McGonagall has always been like that. Probably always will be._

_As for pulling pranks, you just make sure Sirius doesn't do anything too illegal. And watch out for Filch and Professor Snape after they've pulled them. They can both get pretty nasty about pranksters._

_But on to your queries from before. As I said in my last letter, I didn't really tell you absolutely everything, but I will. Of course you're welcome home for Christmas. In fact, I think that would be an excellent time for our little chat._

_Be Good,_

_Aunt Ginny_

* * *

_Dear Harry,_

_I hope you're having a good time in school. Ginny and Sirius both told me about what happened at Halloween. I hope Snape didn't find a way to take off the points McGonagall gave you for that. As for what you did, it was exactly what your father would have done, Harry. He would have been so proud of you. Your mum probably would have been scared to death for you, though._

_So, Ginny tells me you plan to grace us with your presence at Christmas. Is there any way you can convince Sirius to stay behind at Hogwarts? It has been so much more peaceful here without him._

_Anyway, I'm really just writing because Ginny made me, because she seems to think I'm going to forget who you are if we don't write to each other. Has she been trying to make you write to me, as well? If she has, it hasn't been working very well, because I have yet to get a single letter from you. Don't worry, I don't mind. Sirius has been keeping me plenty up-to-date on the happenings at Hogwarts._

_There's not really much more to say now, except that we all miss you quite a bit._

_I'll see you at Christmas._

_Remus_

_'Moony'_

* * *

_Dear Moony,_

_Sorry about not writing sooner, the teachers have been keeping us so busy. I hope it's not this hard all seven years. But it's probably only hard now because I've never had to learn magic before, not that I haven't looked forward to it for years._

_And what do you mean, I 'plan to grace you with my presence?' Of course I'm coming home for Christmas! I live there, and have a right to stay there when I'm not being forced against my will to go to school._

_So, don't worry about having to write only because Aunt Ginny's making you do it. It was nice to hear from you, all the same. And HAHAHA! She _hasn't_ tried to make me write to you. And even if she had, I'm too far removed from her influence, while at Hogwarts, to actually do it. But don't worry, I have been thinking about you all the time._

_I should go now. I have to write this insanely long essay for Snape for potions class tomorrow._

_I hope your furry little problem is treating you well._

_Harry_

* * *

_Dear Ginny,_

_I've been meaning to stop by for a visit, but there never seems to be any time. I hope you're doing well._

_Anyway, Arthur and I had originally planned to have all of the kids come home from Hogwarts for Christmas, but we've had a change of plans. We have decided to go visit Charlie in Romania. But you probably already knew that was going to happen, didn't you? So, Arthur and I were wondering if perhaps you would consider having all of our children over for the Christmas Holidays?_

_It's quite all right if you don't want the extra trouble. I can tell the children to suffer and stay at Hogwarts for the break, but I thought you might like the chance to spend some time with some of your brothers, and you, of course._

_Send a letter back with Errol if it's all right with you._

_Molly_

* * *

_Molly,_

_Sirius, Remus, and I would be happy to have the boys and Ginny over for the holidays. I know Sirius has grown quite attached to the twins while at Hogwarts, and Remus would enjoy Percy's company immensely. I'm sure Harry and Ron would enjoy spending the time together, as well. As for Ginny, I need another girl around here._

_I'm sure you'll write to Percy to tell him of the change of plans, but I'll be sure to write to Harry as well._

_I hope you have a wonderful time visiting Charlie. I haven't seen him in absolutely ages. Tell him 'hello' for me._

_Ginny_

* * *

_Dear Harry,_

_I'm bored! Being a security guard at Hogwarts is sooooooooo boring! There's nothing to do. I wanna go back to school. It was way more fun. I got to ditch class and hang out with my friends doing nothing all day. Hey! That's what I do now. Hmm, maybe being a security guard isn't so bad...even if I don't actually have anyone to hang out with. Either way, it's better than sitting around all day in the Auror's office. Wanna ditch class and hang out sometime? Just whatever you do,_ don't ditch Transfiguration_. McGonagall gives killer detentions. I'd know, I'm the one she created most of them for._

_Anyway, I'm writing this as you sit across from me in my quarters talking right now. To put it quite frankly, I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Oh no! You just stopped talking. I think you realized I wasn't paying attention. Stop looking at me like that! You remind me too much of Lily when you look like that!_

_Ok, fine. I'll stop writing you this excellent letter, then. Honestly, you're such a spoilsport. I'm just trying to be a nice godfather and send you a letter. Why can't you just live with that? Most people actually _like_ receiving mail!_

_Fine, fine. I'm done. Bye, Harry._

_I'll talk to you in about 2.3 seconds,_

_Padfoot the Great_

* * *

_Dear Sirius,_

_What a waste of parchment. Next time you want to complain to me about being bored, just do it to my face if we're in the same room!_

_I think I'll be going now. Ron and Hermione are much more fun to hang out with._

_Harry the Greater_

* * *

_Dear Harry,_

_I REFUSE TO COOPERATE!_

_Sirius the GREATEST_

* * *

_Dear Harry,_

_Molly and Arthur have had a change of plans for the Christmas Holiday. They are now going to Romania to visit Charlie. You remember him, don't you? You haven't seen him since you were seven._

_Anyway, Percy, the twins, Ron, and Ginny will all be coming to stay with us over the break. I'm sure you're bound to see Hermione sometime, as well. She's bound to go visit her aunt sometime while she's home._

_I'll see you in a few weeks._

_Love,_

_Aunt Ginny_

After reading the latest letter from his aunt, Harry looked down the Gryffindor table to where Percy was sitting. He, too, was reading a letter. Errol was eating the remains of his toast, in front of him. As Harry found Percy, he looked up and the two made eye contact. Percy gave a slight nod at Harry as he got up to speak with the twins.

Harry grinned and turned to Ron, who was sitting beside him.

"Guess what," Harry said.

"What?" Ron said.

"Aunt Ginny says you're coming to stay with us for Christmas. Your brothers and sister, too," Harry told him. "So now you'll be there when Aunt Ginny explains everything to me."

"This is perfect," Hermione said, "I'll be around some time, as well. Mum said we were going to spend a few days with Aunt Beatrice, over the holidays."

"Christmas in Godric's Hollow?" Ron said with a grin. "This could get interesting."

The next few weeks flew by. Classes became harder to concentrate on with the prospect of three weeks of freedom looming in front of the students. Indeed, some of the teachers gave up on teaching altogether, in the last week. For some reason, Harry seemed to think this wouldn't be the last time this would happen while he was at Hogwarts. And finally, it was the last day of term. Classes had just ended for the day, and all that separated Harry from his reunion with his aunt was the two meals that lay in between the current moment and the train ride home.

The next day dawned bright and early for Harry, for once. He was very eager to be going home for the break. As much fun as Hogwarts was, he missed his family. Christmas this year would be so different from previous ones, for all of them. For one, the Weasleys would be there. As Ron had said, it could get 'interesting.' But as much as he was looking forward to his return home, Harry knew there was some risk to it.

For one, Professor Dumbledore was highly suspicious of the fact that he was going home, being under the impression that he could not possibly like his relatives. This had obviously created some problems, but they had been avoided.

Sirius had somehow obtained 'permission' from the headmaster, to take his godson to his home for the holidays. And, as it happened, his godson's best friend's family would be coming with as well, seeing as how Sirius was such good friends with the Weasley family and Molly couldn't possibly bear the thought of her children staying at school all by themselves for Christmas.

So, it had all been arranged very carefully.

Many protective spells had been placed upon the cottage at Godric's Hollow, in order so that, if he happened to desire to drop by, they would have warning of Dumbledore's arrival. Also, the house would magically hide all evidence that Harry had lived there for the past ten years. The only spell they hadn't placed on the house was the one which would make it unplottable. This was so that Dumbledore wouldn't become overly suspicious of his inability to find the place where Sirius lived, as they all knew that the suspicious headmaster would inevitably come to call on the group over the holidays.

So, it was with some trepidation that Harry prepared to depart from the train, after the ride home from Hogwarts. Of course he was excited to see his aunt, but he knew that just one slip-up could ruin whatever grand master plan Ginny had cooked up. For he knew that whatever the reason behind Dumbledore's suspicions about his home life, it was all a result of his Aunt Ginny.

After taking a deep breath, Harry stood up and exited the train compartment. The sight that met his eyes as he got off the train was one of great confusion.

Sirius had somehow managed to get home before the Hogwarts Express, and was standing there with Remus, hugging the poor man to death; something about long separations and Marauders sticking together.

Next, there were Mr. & Mrs. Weasley, trying to say goodbye to all of their children at once, before they left for Romania. Needless to say, it was causing chaos, trying to hug each of their five children there at the same time.

Then there was Ginny, both of them really, somehow the younger one had managed to slip out of her mother's grasp. The two of them were gathering all of the luggage each of the children had brought with, while watching the train at the same time, just waiting for Harry to come out. He knew this was what they were doing, because as soon as he was in sight, his aunt's shoulder's seemed to relax, and Ron's little sister's face began to resemble a tomato.

"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley cried finally releasing George, who was rubbing his right ear, as if the hug his mother had given him had injured it. She then enveloped Harry in one of her bone-crushing hugs. Ear-crushing too, apparently.

"Hello, Molly," Harry said. He had known Mrs. Weasley practically his entire life, and she had insisted, when he was able to talk more as a child, that he called her that. Apparently 'Mrs. Weasley' made her feel old.

Molly drew back from him after a moment, and stepped back to stand beside her husband.

"Now, I want the five of you to be very well-behaved guests for Remus and Ginny," She told her children. "We'll send your love to Charlie. Have a Happy Christmas, all of you."

"Bye, Mum," The Weasley children chorused as their parents prepared to disapparate, "Bye, Dad."

"Happy Christmas," Mr. Weasley said, and then they were gone.

"Well," Ginny said, turning to the assembled group of children, "I thought they'd never leave. Who's ready to go?"

"Me!" Sirius exclaimed, jumping up and down. "I miss my bed. Can we go now? Can we? Can we? Can we, _please_?"

"It was the house elves fault," Remus said automatically, "Why they haven't learned by now is beyond me…."

"Learned what?" Ron asked curiously.

"Learned that sugar, caffeine, and Sirius do not mix well together," Remus said wearily. "Whenever he gets like this, he always goes on and on about how the Marauders need to stick together, and…oh, it's all just very long and confusing. I knew there was a reason we were so much happier when Sirius was at Hogwarts."

Ginny nodded her agreement. "Now then, we're all going to have to try and fit everything into the car. It's not that long of a ride from here to Godric's Hollow."

"Sure it isn't," Harry muttered.

Four hours later found them all unpacking their things, back at Ginny's house. There were really only four bedrooms, and Ginny had somehow convinced the two marauders to share their rooms with their holiday guests. So, Ron would be sharing Harry's room, the twins would be with Sirius, Percy would share with Remus, and little Ginny with Ginny. Everything and everyone was finally settled.

Now the Holidays could really begin.

**Rewritten 4/1/12**


	8. Chapter 8

**disclaimer-Harry Potter, mine? Oh how I wish that was true…**

**Chapter Eight**

"FOOD!" Ginny hollered up the stairs several hours after arriving home from King's Cross. In answer, she was greeted by the thunderous sound of footsteps coming from upstairs. She smiled slightly to herself at this; it was just like being back home at the Burrow.

As she walked back in to the kitchen, she was met by her younger counterpart, who was already seated at the table.

"This letter just came," Little Ginny said, holding up a letter in an envelope made of thick parchment. "The owl dropped it off and left right away."

"Thanks, Gin," Ginny said, taking the letter out of the girl's hand.

Gingerly, she turned it over in her hand. It was addressed to Mr. Sirius Black…and it was from Dumbledore. Ginny's eyes went wide with worry.

Just then, all of the boys (and men) burst in to the kitchen, pulled by the promise of food. However, as soon as they had entered the kitchen, they all stopped moving when they saw Ginny standing there, staring at the letter in her hands.

"Ginny," Remus said tentatively. "What's wrong?"

There was a knock on the front door, and her head jerked up.

"Sirius, get the door," Ginny commanded. "It must be Dumbledore. He just sent you this letter and we aren't expecting anyone. The rest of you sit down; it's time for dinner."

The five boys scrambled for seats at the table, none of them understanding what the problem was with the headmaster coming to visit. Ginny turned to Remus as they started putting all of the food on the table.

"The alarms didn't work," She muttered. "Why not?"

"I don't know," Remus answered, "They should have. Unless it isn't Dumbledore at the door?"

"Could be…" Ginny replied. "Hopefully it is, or else we're going to have to redo all of the wards. We'll just have to see who Sirius comes back with."

Ginny had barely finished speaking when the kitchen door opened once more and Sirius walked back in, leading none other than Bill Weasley.

"Bill!" Little Ginny shrieked. "What are you doing here?"

Bill grinned as he wrapped his arms around his little sister who had attacked him with a hug as soon as she saw him.

"Hey everyone," Bill said cheerfully. "I decided to come home for Christmas to surprise all of you, but I found the house empty. I came here to see if anyone knew where my family was, but I guess I found you guys."

"Mum and Dad went to visit Charlie in Romania for Christmas," Percy said promptly as Bill replaced Ginny back on her feet and she made her way back to her seat. "So Ginny and Remus invited us here for the holidays."

"I don't suppose you have any room left for me?" Bill asked, turning to Ginny.

"We could make room," She offered, happy at the unexpected appearance of the oldest Weasley, "There's probably enough space in Harry's room, if you want to share with him and Ron."

"That sounds good to me," Bill said with a nod. Then, he turned his attention to the kitchen as a whole, "So, what's for dinner?"

Remus conjured yet another chair as Ginny grabbed an extra plate from the cabinet, and together the ten of them sat down to eat together, ready to begin their holiday.

* * *

"Hey Harry, do you think Hermione's over at her aunt's house today?" Ron asked a few days into the break. "She said she was going be there some time, didn't she?"

Harry nodded. "But I don't think she'll be there yet; she probably won't be there until closer to Christmas. Her parents probably want to spend some time with her first; they haven't seen her since before school started. And they're muggles, it's probably harder for them because they weren't expecting this to happen."

"Who's a muggle?" A voice asked from the doorway.

Harry, who was sitting on his bed reading a Quidditch magazine, looked up to see Bill standing there.

"Hermione," He answered simply, turning back to his magazine.

"Who's that?" Bill asked curiously. He turned to his youngest brother, "Would she perhaps be one of the friends you've told me about in your many letters?"

Ron's ears reddened slightly. "Sorry about that. I sort of may have forgotten to write..."

"That's okay," Bill said easily. "I understand. I don't think I ever wrote to you either."

"I was _two_ when you went to Hogwarts," Ron said pointedly.

Bill paused for a moment. "Hmm…good point. Anyway, I just came up here to—What in Merlin's name is _that_?"

He had been in the middle of his sentence, when some sort of alarm went off all throughout the house.

"No idea," Harry said worriedly, completely distracted from his magazine now. "It's new."

Together, the three of them cautiously made their way downstairs, where they found Ginny in a state of panic. She was walking back and forth across the living room talking rapidly to Sirius, who was watching her pacing with an amused expression from his place on the couch.

"I didn't actually think he would come," Ginny was saying. "I mean, what if he decides to take him back to school? What if he decides that Harry can't ever come back here? He can't do that, it's not fa—"

"Ginny!" Sirius finally said. "Calm down. You're right. He can't do that. Harry will be fine. Dumbledore can't take him away from us. We'll all be fine." Then he smirked at her, "Look on the bright side, though. Now we know that the alarms work."

"Um, guys?" Bill said tentatively, walking into the room at this point, Ron and Harry following closely. "Hate to interrupt, but what's with the alarms, anyway?"

"Oh, those?" Sirius said dismissively. "Dumbledore's about to knock on the door. They'll stop as soon as he does."

As if on cue, there was a sharp rap on the door, and the blaring noise was cut off. Sirius turned to Bill and the two younger boys.

"What'd I tell you?" He said, before getting up to answer the door.

Although just moments before, Sirius had been cheerful and seemingly carefree, now, he approached the front door cautiously. Reaching out, he grabbed the handle and turned it slowly. The door swung open to reveal Albus Dumbledore standing on the porch.

"Hello, Sirius," Dumbledore said pleasantly. "I trust you are well. I had thought I heard some sort of alarm upon my approach, but it would appear that I was incorrect."

"Oh, we're all fine here," Sirius said. "Must have been noise at some other house. Hope they're alright. Anyway, why don't you come in? I'm sure that's why you…stopped by."

"True, true. Very true," Dumbledore said, in that annoying pleasant voice of his, the ever-present twinkle in his eyes.

Sirius led Dumbledore in to the house, and then into the living room, where Ginny immediately stopped her pacing and turned to the doorway where Dumbledore had stopped.

"Hello," He said, looking at Ginny. "I don't believe we've met before. I am Albus Dumbledore."

"No, we haven't," Ginny replied. "My name is Ginny."

Dumbledore nodded at this, then turned to the other three people in the room.

"Ah, Bill Weasley. I haven't seen you since you graduated from Hogwarts. You are doing well in Egypt, I presume?"

Bill nodded. "I came home for Christmas to spend some time with the family."

Dumbledore nodded as well, and looked towards the two remaining people.

"And the two of you are enjoying your break," It was a statement, not a question.

"Very much, sir," Harry said. "It's been loads of fun, staying with Sirius. This feels more like home than Privet Drive ever did."

Dumbledore was silent. Harry had obviously touched upon the subject he had wanted to know about a bit sooner than expected.

"I see," Was all he said on the matter though, before turning to Sirius. "Well, I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop by to say hello. I should be getting back to the school. I have a meeting with the teachers that I need to attend. I shall see you again once term starts."

Sirius gave a nod of understanding, and Dumbledore turned and left. Once he was gone, Sirius looked back at Ginny.

"It looks like Plan B is our best option."

"Better than Plan D," Was Ginny's response. "But I can see Plan C helping a bit with our situation, though."

"What are you two talking about?" Harry interrupted. But the two of them ignored him as Sirius walked to the door leading in to the hallway.

"Remmy!" He called out. "We're going with Plan B!"

Harry looked to Bill and Ron. "Seriously, what's going on? Am I the only one that's confused?"

"Nope," Ron said. "But I've learned to accept that with your family. You're very confusing. All of you."

* * *

The next day, there was a knock on the front door a little after noon. Harry opened it to reveal a rather breathless Hermione.

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed as the girl threw her arms around his neck. "It took you ages to get here. It's already Christmas Eve."

Hermione shrugged after she had released him. "Mum and Dad wanted me all to themselves. Then Aunt Beatrice wouldn't let me out of her sight because she was complaining how she never sees me anymore. We've told her that I go to a muggle boarding school, but I don't think she was paying attention. Anyway, how has your break been? Learn anything interesting yet?"

Harry shook his head. "Only think I've learned is that we're going with Plan B. Whatever that is."

"Care to elaborate?" Hermione said. "After you've invited me inside, of course. It's a bit chilly out here, you know."

"Oh, sorry about that. I forgot," Harry said, hurriedly letting his friend in from the cold. "Come on, let's go to the kitchen. I think Ron's in there. Aunt Ginny was just making us some hot cocoa. We can get him, and then we can talk about everything. Oh, and you can meet Ron's younger sister Ginny, and his older brother Bill. He turned up a few days ago; I haven't seen him in years. Not since he left for Egypt."

Meanwhile, while Harry had been telling Hermione all of this, the two of them had arrived at the kitchen, and Harry threw the door open.

"Hermione's here," He announced to the room.

"'Mione!" Ron said excitedly. "We've been waiting for you for ages."

"Hello, Hermione," The older Ginny said in a much calmer voice. "I don't believe you've met Ron's sister, Ginny, or his older brother, Bill, have you?"

Hermione shook her head, and held her hand out to Bill. "Pleased to meet you. I go to school with Ron and Harry."

Bill nodded and shook the hand he had been offered. "I've heard loads about you from those two."

"I'll be at Hogwarts next year," Ginny told Hermione once she had finished introducing herself to Bill.

"Ron and Harry mentioned that," Hermione said.

"They talk about me?" Ginny questioned, looking surprised and maybe…a little excited.

"…Yes." Hermione said hesitantly, slightly taken aback at the younger girl's reaction.

"Yes, well, we should be going," Harry said hurriedly, grabbing on to the sleeve of Hermione's cloak with one hand and motioning with his other hand for Ron to follow them. "Lot's to catch up on, you know. Bye."

"It was nice meeting the two of you!" Hermione called as the three friends left the kitchen.

Together, the three of them walked up the stairs to Harry's room. Once all three of them were inside, Hermione turned to the two boys.

"So, what have you learned?" She asked them.

"Nothing much, really," Harry admitted. "But something pretty strange happened a few days ago. When Dumbledore showed up."

"Really?" Hermione said. "He actually came here?"

Harry and Ron both nodded and then proceeded to tell Hermione all about the strange and very abbreviated visit with Professor Dumbledore.

Once they were done, Hermione sat down silently on the bed closest to her. She didn't speak for a moment, thinking about what they two boys had told her. After a few minutes, she looked back up at Harry and Ron who were both staring at her intently, waiting for her input.

"You know," Hermione said slowly, "This does fit in perfectly with my theory. You know which one I'm talking about, right?"

"The theory that makes absolutely no sense?" Harry questioned. "The one that you thought up after Ron explained Time Turners to us?"

Hermione nodded. "And it _does_ make sense," She insisted, "It's just your own fault if you don't understand it, because you were supposed to get the story out of your aunt. Has she even said anything about it yet, anyway? I thought she was going to talk to you over the break."

"She was. But break isn't over yet," Harry replied. "And I know Aunt Ginny. She'll keep her promise to tell me."

"Wait," Ron said suddenly, his brow furrowed. "I'm confused. How does what happened during Dumbledore's visit go along with your theory, Hermione?"

Hermione sighed in exasperation. "Do you remember how I said that Ginny must have saved Harry from some terrible fate or something like that, while he lived with his other relatives? Well, how do you suppose Harry got there in the first place? I can't possibly imagine that your parents Will said you would go live with your mother's sister. Remember how Sirius reacted when we asked him who she was?"

Harry and Ron both nodded.

"That was scary." Ron said for both of them. "I definitely don't think your mum would have wanted her sister to raise you, Harry."

"Exactly," Hermione agreed, "I'm betting that it was Dumbledore who originally sent Harry to live with his mother's sister, and her family. That's what started Harry's presumably terrible life. So that was the first thing Ginny fixed when she went back to the past. The thing is, Dumbledore wouldn't have agreed with what she was doing; he wanted Harry to live with his blood relatives for whatever reason. So Ginny never told him what she did. But he found out that Harry wasn't at these Dursley people's house."

"Good thing I wasn't, too." Harry muttered. Ron nodded his agreement. Hermione ignored the interruption.

"So, for the past ten years or so, Dumbledore has been trying to find out what happened to Harry," Hermione stated. She turned to Harry at this point, "Is there any time in your life than you can think of that something happened, and your aunt made you leave the house? I mean, something like…I don't know, did someone get a letter or something and everyone was really worried, and you and your aunt both left or something? Just for a little bit, though. Not like you left permanently."

Harry was silent for a moment, thinking. He looked back up, to deny any such occurrence, when his gaze locked with Hermione's. His eyes went wide with understanding.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" Harry asked her. "That day at the park?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, but what does that…Oh!"

"What?" Ron said. "What happened?"

"The day that I met Hermione," Harry began, "Was the day that Padfoot found out that his mum had died. He got a letter about it, and Aunt Ginny seemed worried about something, and the two of us left the house right away, and we went to the park for a picnic. I bet Dumbledore was the one who sent the letter, and he probably came to the house to talk to Sirius about his mum. Sirius mentioned something once about being his mother's closest living relative, which is why he got everything."

"See!" Hermione said excitedly. "It all makes sense. Ginny came back and saved Harry, and Dumbledore got worried, obviously, because he couldn't find Harry anywhere. He came really close to finding him once, but he had unknowingly warned Ginny, Remus, and Sirius of his arrival, so Ginny was able to hide Harry from him. But now that Harry is at Hogwarts, Dumbledore will be able to monitor his movements easily. He'll know where Harry is _and_ where he goes at the end of the school year. That's probably where this Plan B thing comes in."

"Sirius, Remus, and Ginny have a plan to fool Dumbledore," Ron agreed. "They've probably been planning all of this for years. Now all of this really does make sense."

"No, it doesn't," Harry contradicted. "There's still something I don't get."

"What?" Ron and Hermione asked.

"I get that all of this—_if_ we're even right about any of it—was done to protect me, and give me a better life," Harry said. "But why was it Ginny who did all of it? Why was _she_ the one to come back?"

"I was wondering when you were going to get to that," A voice said from the doorway.

The three friends turned to see the older Ginny standing there, leaning against the door-frame. She had a slight smile on her face.

"And I think it's about time that I explained it all to you three," Ginny continued. "You deserve that much after how well you've done theorizing."

"Everything?" Harry asked.

"Everything," Ginny promised.

**Rewritten 4/1/12**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

"I guess I'll start by saying that the theory you three have come up with is pretty much spot on," Ginny said, moving away from the door to sit on the cot that had been set up for Bill. "Technically, I am from the future; it was the second of May in 1998 the last time I was there."

"How did you get here?" Hermione cut in. "Ron explained time turners to us, but I didn't think they worked across a span of time that large…although I suppose, in theory, it could work…"

"I didn't use a time turner," Ginny answered simply.

"Then how did you travel through time?" Ron asked, thoroughly confused.

"It's…complicated…" Ginny said slowly.

"You promised," Harry reminded her.

"Hmm…I guess I did," Ginny replied, "But it's still complicated. I'm not even sure I understand all of it, yet. Like I already said, when I was last in my own time, it was the beginning of May, 1998. I was at Hogwarts one moment and the next I was back home at the Burrow. As I had been in the middle of…something," She continued vaguely after the briefest of pauses, "I was rather shocked to find myself suddenly at home. Especially because my parents hadn't lived at home in the past few months; they'd been living with Auntie Muriel."

"…_Why_?" Ron interrupted at this point, horror clearly written across his features. "What _sane_ person would willingly go live with _Auntie Muriel_?"

"What, no surprise over the fact that she'll still be alive in six and a half years?" Ginny questioned him teasingly.

"No," Ron said, completely serious, "It's Auntie Muriel; she lives to make everyone else's lives miserable. _Obviously_ she's going to live forever."

"Fair point," Ginny conceded. "She probably will."

"So why did your parents want to live with her, then?" Harry asked now. "I mean, if she's _that_ awful…"

"There's a bit more to it than merely just _wanting_ to live there," Ginny stated. "The complete reasoning behind it really isn't something that I can get into now. It's far too complicated and definitely not something that anyone needs to spare a thought about right now. That said, I was naturally surprised to find myself back home, but before I could get too worked up about it, a girl that I had never seen before pretty much just showed up out of nowhere."

"Who was she?" Hermione prompted when Ginny didn't continue immediately, lost in her memories.

"She called herself Destiny," Ginny said simply. "And she told me that she was responsible for bringing me to the Burrow. It turns out that she was what's called an Angel of Destiny, a being responsible for overseeing the destiny of an individual human."

"Do we all have Angels of Destiny?" Hermione asked curiously.

"I believe so," Ginny replied. "But it is only in the most extreme circumstances that they reveal themselves to humans—magical and muggle folk alike. This particular angel was the responsible for the destiny of one Mr. Harry James Potter." At this point, Ginny ignored the looks Ron and Hermione both shot Harry, instead focusing her attention solely on the dark-haired boy, "She didn't tell me much; only what I needed to know and what she wanted me to do. Quite simply, the mission she gave me was to save you, Harry. It was then that I discovered that I had also travelled in time; it was now very early in the hours of the first of November, 1981. Dumbledore was about to give you to your mum's sister, so that she could raise you. Destiny didn't agree with the decision, and sent me to…well, I suppose the technical term for it would be that she sent me to kidnap you."

"So I really was raised by a criminal," Harry said succinctly. "Lovely."

"Well, if you want to get technical about it," Ginny replied cheekily. "But I feel like I'm getting ahead of myself."

"You started at the beginning," Hermione said. "How is that getting ahead of yourself?"

"I started at the beginning for Harry," Ginny corrected the younger girl. "Not at the beginning for me. I was ten when we first met," Ginny continued, looking directly at Harry again as she spoke. "You were eleven. I remember that day so well. It was the day Ron was going to begin at Hogwarts, and I had wanted to go with him; you know how it can be, when you are the only one not doing something. Anyway, I was with mum and she was sending everyone off through the barrier. It was right after George went that you came forward. You see, you were by yourself and you had no idea how to get through the barrier. Mum was so kind. She told you exactly what to do, and she sent you through before Ron.

"Later, when Mum and I were saying good-bye to everyone, I kept trying to find you on the train. It was very exciting, seeing you. You were Harry Potter, probably the most famous person in the wizarding world. And you were only eleven," Ginny paused at this point, a reminiscent smile upon her face as she continued, "Mum yelled at the twins when they said they wanted to ask you about Voldemort. Now that I think about it, it was kind of funny. They were so full of life back then. Before the war."

"What war?" Hermione asked sharply. "Why was there a war?"

"You always did want to know everything," Ginny said with a shake of her head. "That's one of the things I've missed most about being here; having my friends to talk to. Remus and Sirius just aren't the same."

"But the war," Hermione prompted, "You said you'd tell us everything. Well, this war is a part of that everything."

"Just be quiet," Ron snapped. "If you stop interrupting her, then she'll tell us."

"Fine," Hermione snapped back.

Ginny barely suppressed a grin. "I guess no matter how much I change things with time travel, some things will always stay the same."

"You mean to tell me that no matter what kind of time travel occurs to change the time line, I'll still be stuck with their arguing?" Harry questioned. "I thought this was supposed to make my life better."

"It is better," Ginny said darkly, "You have no idea how much better. Petunia was your mother Lily's only living family, but she hardly treated you that way." She stopped suddenly, a strange expression on her face. "Harry," She said, "How would you like to meet your aunt?"

"Right now?" Harry said. Ginny nodded.

"Ron and Hermione may come, too. But Hermione would need to ask first."

Hermione glanced at her watch as Ginny said this. "Oh, no. I was only supposed to come over to say hello. Mum wanted me to be back in time for dinner. I guess I can't go."

"It's okay," Ron reassured her, as she stood up and pulled her cloak back on. "We'll tell you all about it next time you come to visit."

Hermione smiled, their brief spat already forgotten. "Thanks. I'll see you again soon. We're going to be staying with Aunt Beatrice for a few days."

The four of them walked to the front door together. And as Hermione stepped out of the door, they all yelled their good-byes out to each other. Then, Ginny shut the door and turned to Ron and Harry.

"Go and get your cloaks. No, get some jackets. Petunia will be a tad bit more pleasant if you wear jackets," Ginny informed them, her expression thoughtful. "We'll leave as soon as you're ready."

"Where're you going?" Sirius asked from where he had just appeared in the doorway to the front room as the two boys headed back upstairs.

"Nowhere," Ginny said quickly, "But I'm not sure how long we'll be gone." She grinned evilly at him then, "You and Remus will have to make dinner."

Ron and Harry appeared again, both with their winter jackets on, as Sirius's jaw dropped.

"Are you serious?" Sirius asked. "You want _us_ to feed the _children_. _I can't cook!_"

"I'm not Sirius. You are," Ginny said cheekily, ushering the boys out the door. "And ask Bill for some help, then. I'm sure he's learned something from Molly."

She walked out the door, then. As she walked down the path, following Harry and Ron, Sirius called out after her.

"If they all die it isn't my fault!" Sirius said.

Ginny grinned as she grabbed Harry and Ron's arms, preparing to disapparate.

"You can always call Kreacher for some help," She said, and then they were gone.

Barely a second later, they reappeared in a small park, many miles away. As they appeared, both Harry and Ron staggered a little, neither being used to apparating. Without missing a beat, Ginny took off walking right away and Harry and Ron had to jog to catch up with her again.

"Where are we?" Harry managed to ask, once he had caught his breath.

"Little Whinging, Surrey," Ginny answered. "They live on a street called Privet Drive. It's only a bit further away, now."

As the trio walked down the street, they passed a group of boys who were about the same age as Ron and Harry. They all stopped what they were doing as Ginny and the boys approached. Ron and Harry were all set to keep on walking, but Ginny stopped after a second glance at a rather pudgy little blonde who appeared to be the ringleader of the group.

"Hello, Dudley," Ginny said pleasantly. The blonde boy's head jerked up.

"Who are you?" The boy—Dudley, apparently—asked rather rudely.

"No one you know," Ginny replied easily in the same tone of voice. Dudley looked shocked that someone had talked to him like that.

"Anyway," Ginny continued, more pleasantly now, "We'll be going now, won't we boys?" She looked at Ron and Harry, who nodded.

As they started to walk away again, Harry glanced at Dudley, whoever he was, to find that the other boy was looking at him as well. Dudley's eyes went wide with shock when Harry looked him in the eye. Then, Harry turned and continued walking alongside Ron.

"Aunt Ginny?" Harry said, once the boys were out of earshot.

"Yes, dear?" She replied.

"Is that—Was that…Who was that boy?"

"That, Harry, was your cousin: Dudley Dursley."

Harry's jaw dropped. "I'm related to…_him_?"

"Unfortunate, isn't it?" Ginny said as she stopped in front of one of the houses. How she could tell them apart from each other was beyond Ron and Harry. "This is it. Number Four Privet Drive."

Then, together, the three of them walked up to the front door. Ginny, who was in front, gave a sharp knock on the wood and footsteps could soon be heard coming towards the door. It swung open to reveal a very thin middle-aged woman with brown hair, who slightly resembled a horse.

"How may I help you?" The woman asked, suspiciously eyeing Ginny and the two boys.

"Hello, Mrs. Dursley," Ginny said brightly. "My name is Ginny, and I have someone here who I believe you might know."

Petunia looked at her skeptically. Ginny took this as her cue, and grabbed the arm of Harry's jacket and pulled him forward so that he was standing in front of her. Harry looked up to the woman's face and met her eyes. Recognition seemed to flash across the brown eyes he was looking into. Then, what looked like hatred replaced the look faster than the blink of an eye.

"What do you want?" Petunia now snarled, still talking to Ginny, who, in turn, was still beaming at Petunia.

"I don't want anything," Ginny informed her, releasing her hold on Harry's jacket. "Your nephew, here, wanted to meet you."

Petunia's gaze swept back down to Harry. For a split second, her eyes seemed to soften at the sight of his, but then they hardened once more.

"I don't have a nephew," Petunia insisted. "I have no siblings."

"That's because mum died," Harry said knowingly. "But you used to."

Petunia seemed to catch her breath. "Li-Lily _died_?"

"You didn't know?" Harry asked, looking amazed. This woman couldn't really be his aunt, could she? "Mum died over ten years ago."

Petunia collapsed slightly against the doorframe, ignoring the cold that was coming from the outside.

"Ten years," She murmured. Her gaze locked with Harry's, and there was no denying the sorrow there.

Petunia may have claimed to hate her sister but, underneath it all, she had still cared about her younger sister. After glancing up and down the street quickly, Petunia motioned for the three of them to come inside. She led them into the front room, where they all sat down.

"Tell me what happened," Petunia commanded shakily. "I want to know everything."

As Ginny launched into the story of Lily and James' deaths, Harry took the time to look around the room. It was far too clean to be allowed, and cluttered with pictures of the blonde boy they had met on the street. There was also a rather beefy man in some of the pictures, and Harry reasoned that was whom his cousin took after. Petunia was simply too thin to be Dudley's mother, otherwise.

"Ten years," Petunia said again once Ginny had finished, covering her face with her hands as her elbows rested on her knees. When she uncovered her face again, she looked at Harry once more, but still addressed Ginny. "How did you know where to find me?"

"I was here years ago," Ginny said. "The night…it happened. I'm sure you recall who Professor Dumbledore is?"

Petunia gave a stiff nod as her lips compressed to form a frown. Apparently she wasn't too fond of Dumbledore, as well.

"He wanted to leave Harry with you, all those years ago," Ginny said. "But I knew you wouldn't want to raise him; he would remind you too much of your sister and her…gifts. So I took Harry from where Dumbledore left him on your porch."

Harry and Ron both turned to face her with interest at this point. They hadn't gotten this far in Ginny's story yet.

"He's been living with his godfather, myself, and another of his father's friends since then," Ginny told Petunia. "But Harry wanted to meet you. He wanted to know his only family."

Petunia had the good grace to look ashamed at this point. "We wouldn't have been that much of a family," She admitted softly. "I was always so jealous of L-Lily. I wouldn't have been able to see past that if I had raised Harry," Petunia sighed as this point. "And to think, all these years, I've just thought that Lily was keeping her promise. That she was staying away, just as I had told her too."

"That's alright," Ginny said. "I'm sure Lily would understand. She knew how you felt about her. And she knew that, deep down, you were sorry about everything you ever said to her."

Petunia gave them a shaky smile. "Somehow I doubt that, but I do want to make it better. I want to help with Harry; prove to Lily, wherever she is, that I really am sorry."

At this, Ginny smiled, "Good. There _is_ something you can do."

"There is?" Harry asked, surprised. After everything everyone had told him about Petunia, Aunt Ginny was going to let her help…with what? Raising him?

Ginny nodded. "I haven't exactly talked this over with you yet, Harry. But I promise there's a good reason. It has to do with the things I was telling you about earlier," She turned back to Petunia. "Do you think you could let Harry stay with you for a few weeks once school lets out? It doesn't have to be for long. About two or three weeks at most."

Petunia looked at Harry, and finally addressed him, "If you want to, we'd love to have you."

Harry was at a loss for how to respond. On the one hand, he'd always been told things that hadn't exactly put Petunia in a good light, yet she _did_ seem genuinely sorry that her only sister was dead and that she and Lily hadn't parted on the best of terms. And hadn't she freely admitted that it was for the best that she hadn't spent the past ten years raising him?

With these thoughts running through his mind, Harry glanced at Ron for some support. When the redhead merely shrugged, his attention then turned to Aunt Ginny, who smiled encouragingly. Lastly, he looked at his other aunt, who he still wasn't entirely sure about. She was looking at him with apprehension and…was it…_guilt_ in her eyes? This was when Harry knew the truth. Petunia was truly sorry for everything she had ever done to her sister, and she wanted to pay her retribution.

"Thank you," Harry said, "I'd love to stay."

Ginny simply beamed as Harry and Petunia began to talk, while Ron looked curiously at all of the muggle contraptions scattered around the room. Ten years ago, Dumbledore had put his trust in Lily's blood and Ginny had defied him, making the bond of a loving family stronger than the bond of blood. Now, with Dumbledore's suspicion aroused, she was once again putting faith in Lily's blood and the charm she had used to protect her son at her death.

As Harry and Petunia laughed together about something Petunia was saying, Ginny's smile grew, if possible, even larger. Yes, this was definitely the way things should have been.

* * *

"Well," Ginny said, after they had apparated back to their home in Godric's Hollow, "That went better than you thought it would, didn't it?"

Harry nodded enthusiastically, "After all of those stories you all told me, I was expecting something much worse."

"Weren't we all?" Ron questioned. Harry laughed as Ginny opened the front door. He immediately stopped once it was open however, because they were met with the strangest sound any of them had ever heard coming from inside of this house.

"Er…you guys?" Ron said uncertainly. "Why is it so quiet?"

Cautiously the trio stepped into the house, with Ginny in the lead. They crept through the silent and seemingly empty house warily, just waiting for someone or something to pop out at them. Finally, they had walked all the way to the back of the house without finding a thing and with only the kitchen left to check. Strangely, the door leading to the inside of it was closed.

As far as Harry and Ron could tell, no one was on the other side. All they could hear was a slight buzzing sound in their ears. Ginny however, drew her wand with a smirk on her face.

"They thought they could fool us," She muttered, "Those silly marauders." She gestured to Harry and Ron, "Stay behind me. And be careful, something might come flying out when I open the door."

As she turned back to the door, Harry and Ron glanced at each other and shrugged. They had seen Ginny doing stranger things. Besides, living with two of the marauders, and another one's son, could do funny things to the mind. Slowly, Ginny reached for the handle, pulled it down, and pushed the door open.

"FREEZE!" She yelled.

Ron and Harry looked around her, through the door and in to the kitchen, to see one of the funniest things they had ever seen. The Weasleys and the Marauders appeared to be in the middle of a food fight.

There was a strange whitish-yellow substance dripping off of Percy's glasses; little Ginny and Sirius both had the same yellowish stuff coating their long hair. The twins appeared to have ganged up on Bill, who was covered from head to toe in what looked like every kind of food Ginny had ever had in the cabinets. Remus seemed to be the only one completely unscathed, having combined the kitchen table with a shield charm to make a sort of barricade, which he was sitting behind, peacefully reading what appeared to be a cookbook.

They had all stopped and look towards the door when Ginny had spoken, however, and there was now a sheepish grin on Sirius's face.

"Erm, hey Gin," He said, "We um…couldn't decide what to have for dinner?"

Ginny couldn't suppress the grin forming on her face.

"Only you could manage to destroy my kitchen in the few hours we were gone, Sirius," She said, turning to look at everyone. "Did any of you manage to salvage _any_ food?"

"Those cabinets-" said Fred.

"-Wouldn't open," George finished.

"We tried everything," They said in unison.

"Oh good," Ginny said pleasantly, "That's where Christmas dinner is. Now, who is going to volunteer to clean all of this up?"

Surprisingly, little Ginny stepped forward; not that she was volunteering, of course.

"I think Padfoot should do it," She stated firmly, "He started all of it. All _I_ wanted was my dinner."

There was a general consensus of nods of agreement from everyone else in the room.

"Not fair," Sirius whined, "I don't wanna clean."

"You're such a baby, Sirius," Ginny informed the older wizard, "You have three options: Do it the hard way and clean up like a muggle; have a sudden brainwave and remember you're a wizard and do it with magic; or do it the extremely easy, and lazy, way and call Kreacher…although, now that I think of it, you are forbidden from calling Kreacher. You have to clean it yourself."

Sirius grinned as he whipped out his wand.

"_Scourgify!_" He said, and a moment later the kitchen, and everyone in it, was spotless.

"We have got to learn that one," Fred told George, who nodded his agreement.

Ginny happened to glance at her watch just then. "Alright everyone, time for bed. It's Christmas tomorrow and you're all going to be up bright and early bugging me, so I want some sleep. So, bed all of you."

"But we didn't eat dinner," George complained as Ginny herded all of the 'kids' out the door.

"You were hoarding all of that food and you never thought to eat some of it?" Their little sister said incredulously as she passed them on the stairs. "You've got to be the only ones who didn't manage to eat anything in there, then."

The twins scowled as they followed Sirius into his room.

A little while later, Harry lay awake in his bed, thinking over the day's events. He had finally met his real aunt, and she had seemed somewhat decent. He had also learned some of Aunt Ginny's story. She had gotten distracted from her story quite easily, but what little of it she had told them confirmed the trio's suspicions. Aunt Ginny really was Ron's little sister. He wouldn't necessarily say she was from the future, as her coming to the past had obviously had a drastic effect, making all of his beloved aunt's experiences far different from her younger counterpart's. But, either way, at least now he knew that the reason she was here, raising him, was so that she could make his life better.

So, for now, only one question still remained in Harry's mind.

Why had it been _Ginny_ to come save him?

**Rewritten 4/17/12—and just so we're all quite aware, this chapter is most definitely not my friend.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer-Harry Potter is not mine.**

**Chapter Ten**

The next morning greeted both Harry and Ron at quite an early hour. As it happened, however, it was the only day of the year the pair found this to be acceptable.

"Happy Christmas, Ron," said Harry upon sitting up and seeing that his best friend was also awake.

"Happy Christmas," Ron replied. He glanced at his older brother, still asleep on the camp bed at the foot of Harry and Ron's beds. He looked back at Harry, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "What do you say we show Bill just how happy of a Christmas it is?"

Harry's eyes lit up with glee, "I'd say that's an excellent idea."

As one, the two boys picked up the pillows on their beds and started pelting them at Bill's apparently lifeless form.

"WAKE UP BILL!" Ron shouted. "It's Christmas!"

"Presents!" Harry chimed in. "Bill! Wake up!"

"Argh!" Came the strangled shout from Bill's cot. "What the bloody hell was that for?"

"It's Christmas," Ron said calmly and pointedly.

"Presents," Harry added. "And you're just lucky it was us waking you up and not Padfoot."

No sooner had he said this however, than the door burst open and Sirius appeared.

"PRESENTS!" Sirius shouted happily. "TIME TO OPEN PRESENTS! EVERYONE UP!"

"What'd I tell you?" Harry said as the three of them followed the obviously sugar-high Sirius downstairs.

The rest of the morning was spent opening presents and pulling wizarding crackers. Around eleven, Ginny disappeared into the kitchen to begin making Christmas dinner. At noon everyone else halted their festive activities for a light brunch. A little bit after that, Hermione showed up bearing gifts for everyone.

"So," Hermione said as she opened her present from Ron, "Did you two get anything interesting this year?"

"I got a sweater from mum," Ron said. "No surprise there. She sent one for everyone. How she has the time to knit all of those things is beyond me."

"I got one, too," Harry said. "But guess what else I got?"

"What?" Hermione asked curiously while examining the box of chocolates that Ron had given her.

"An invisibility cloak," Harry informed her. "Isn't that so cool?"

"Who gave it to you?" asked Hermione incredulously. "It must have cost a fortune."

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. The note didn't say, but Aunt Ginny said not to worry about it. Then Moony and Padfoot started their whole reminiscing about the past thing when they saw it. Do have any idea how much trouble we can get out of with this thing?"

Hermione frowned, "I don't know about that, Harry. What do you think, Ron?"

"Huh?" He asked, looking up from the Chudley Cannons poster he had been examining. "What do I think about what?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "What do you think about the cloak? You know, the one Harry got for Christmas?"

"Oh, that," Ron said, "It'll be so easy to get past Filch with that thing, now. We won't almost get another detention for sneaking to the trophy room in the middle of the night."

"_You_ didn't almost get killed by a giant three-headed dog, that time," Hermione said sourly.

"And next time you won't have to either," Harry pointed out. "Now, are you going to come back later? Aunt Ginny said to invite you and your parents and your aunt, too, I think, over for dessert."

Hermione shook her head, "We can't. Aunt Beatrice invited some other relatives over as well. Sorry."

"It's okay," Harry shrugged. "You guys have to come back for New Years, then."

Hermione grinned, "No problem. I'll ask mum and dad when I get back, but I'm sure they'll be fine with it. Anyway, I was just stopping by with your gifts; I have to get back now. I'll see you two on New Year's Eve. Oh, and Harry, we'll have to get your aunt to finish her story then, too. She never finished it the other day."

"Don't worry, she will," Harry said reassuringly as he and Ron walked Hermione to the front door.

"She had better," Hermione said as she stood on the front porch. "She never told us anything about that war she mentioned yesterday."

"We know," Ron reassured her. "Now, I thought you had to leave?"

"Trying to get rid of me, Ronald?" Hermione asked, starting to walk backwards down the front path so that she was still facing her two friends as she spoke.

"He just wants to get back to looking at that poster you gave him," Harry reassured her. "We'll see you New Year's Eve, Hermione."

"Bye," Hermione called with a wave, before Ron shut the door and turned to Harry.

"I'm starving," Ron moaned, clutching his stomach. "When d'you dinner will be ready?"

"Soon," His little sister said, appearing out of nowhere next to Harry. "I've just been helping Percy set the table. Do you know if anyone extra is coming over for dinner, Harry?"

He shook his head. "Why?"

Ginny shrugged, "It's just that your aunt told us to set out thirteen places, and there's only ten of us. Oh, is Hermione coming?"

"Nope," Ron answered. "Anyway, I thought she had only been invited for dessert?"

"She was," Harry said, frowning. "I wonder if Aunt Ginny invited anyone else."

"Now, why would you get that idea?" Sirius's voice asked from behind Harry.

"Where'd you come from?" Harry questioned, spinning around to face his godfather with a start.

"You really wanna know?" Sirius asked, a mischievous grin on his face. "Because I can assure you that tale of my origin is a truly lovely one."

"Not really," Ron replied quickly.

"We're never speaking of this again," Harry said immediately, shuddering slightly as Sirius merely grinned cheerfully at the two boys, before the youngest Weasley captured his attention.

"Do _you_ know why there are three extra places at the dining room table?" Ginny asked Sirius.

"No," Sirius said. "Well, yes. Don't know if they're coming, though," he said, more to himself, than the three kids in front of him.

"You don't know if _who's_ coming?" Harry asked.

"The plan is to reinforce the initial foundation we've set for Plan B," Sirius continued as if he hadn't heard his godson speaking. "Then, once that's all in place, we're going to continue on with Plan A, though slightly modified. We don't want to go making things look too suspicious. We might even have to follow up with Plan C for a while, too."

"What's with all of these plans?" Ron asked. "What do they _mean_?"

"It's nothing you have to worry about," Sirius replied mysteriously. "But I'm sure you'll be told…when the time is right. Now, who's up for some Christmas dinner?"

Sirius herded the three kids into the dining room with those words. With a curious glance at the three extra places at the magically elongated table, Harry picked a chair at random and sat down with Ron on one side, Ginny on the other. Almost as soon as the three of them took their seats the twins sat down on Ron's other side, and Bill and Percy sat across from them. Remus sat next to Bill, across from Ron, while Sirius sat at the head of the table. This left a place for Ginny opposite Sirius at the foot of the table, two extra places next to Remus, and one at the corner next to the younger Ginny.

Just as Ginny was finishing bringing all of the food out, there was a knock on the front door. She quickly set turkey down in front of Sirius, and hurried towards the door.

"Wonder who that is," Fred, or maybe it was George, said.

Muffled voices could be heard coming from the front hall as they all heard the sound of the front door closing. Then, footsteps, echoing slightly off of the wooden floor, started coming closer to the dining room.

"Well, I'd say we're about to find out," The other twin said.

Ginny appeared once more in the dining room, a large grin encompassing her whole face.

"I would like all of you to meet Petunia and Dudley Dursley," Ginny announced to the now silent room.

Harry's head spun around to face his godfather for a moment. 'Plan B,' Sirius mouthed, twiddling his thumbs and staring at the ceiling in a suspiciously Dumbledore-like manner. Harry rolled his eyes as he turned back to his aunt to see that she had moved aside to reveal his other aunt and the boy Harry recognized from the day before, standing there.

"H-Hello," Petunia said, somewhat shakily as her obvious nerves betrayed her. "Happy Christmas, everyone."

Harry smiled at her as she caught his eye. "Hello, Aunt Petunia."

Relief seemed to flood Petunia's eyes after he said that. She drew the blonde boy beside her a little closer.

"This is Dudley, Harry," She told her nephew. "Dudley, this is Harry: your cousin. You remember, don't you? I told you all about him and my sister last night."

Dudley nodded; there was a rather eager look in his eyes. He had never had any relatives remotely close in age to him before; this seemed to be a new and exciting experience for him. It was a rather large change from the rude boy he had been the day before.

"You can sit there, Petunia," Ginny pointed to the open seat next to Remus. "And why don't you sit next to your mother, Dudley? We can get rid of this space next to Ginny. It'll give us all some extra room."

The two Dursleys sat down where they had been directed, obediently. As Sirius started to carve the turkey, Remus turned to Petunia.

"Hello," He said pleasantly, "I'm Remus, Remus Lupin."

Recognition seemed to flash across Petunia's face. "You were friends with Lily. She talked about you all of the time."

Sirius turned in their direction at these words, promptly forgetting about the turkey. It was Ginny's turn to roll her eyes now, as she directed Bill to take over from Sirius.

"Did Lilykins ever talk about me?" Sirius questioned eagerly.

"Depends," Petunia answered evenly, "Who are you?"

"Sirius Black," answered Sirius, "I think we've met before."

"When?" Petunia asked, looking confused.

"I was the silent, handsome guy standing behind James when he and Lily went to your house to invite you to their wedding," Sirius replied innocently. Remus shook his head sadly as Petunia grimaced.

"I don't think Lily talked about you all that much, to me anyway. She did mention to mum and dad a few times how irritating you and James Potter were, though. Of course, that was before she went and fell in love with him."

"Ah, the good old days," Sirius sighed. He turned to his godson, "Why aren't you socializing with your cousin, Harry? Go on…mingle. And introduce him to your friends while you're at it."

Harry rolled his eyes again, as he turned to face Dudley.

"So," Harry began, "How old are you?"

"Eleven," Dudley answered promptly, "Same as you. Mum says I'm a month older, though."

Harry shrugged. "This is Ron, by the way. Ron Weasley. He's my best mate," Harry said, indicating the red-haired boy beside him, who happened to be stuffing his face with food at the moment, as per usual at mealtimes.

Dudley nodded, then glanced at everyone else seated in the dining room. "Do you all live here?"

Harry shook his head quickly. "I'm amazed we all fit in here to begin with. Only me, Aunt Ginny, Padfoot, and Moony live here."

"_Who_?" Dudley questioned curiously.

"Aunt Ginny's the one who answered the door," Harry said, nodding in his aunt's direction. "Sirius over there, is Padfoot. And Remus, next to your mum, is Moony. They gave themselves those nicknames when they were in school. We've all lived here together, practically my whole life."

Dudley nodded again in understanding. "Then who are all these other people? The ones with red hair?"

Harry couldn't help but grin at the comment about the trademark Weasley hair.

"Well, I've already introduced you to Ron. The one with glasses, next to Moony, is Percy, and that's Bill, next to him. They're two of Ron's older brothers. And the twins, Fred and George, are on the other side of Ron. They're some of Ron's older brothers, as well," Harry said, pointing to each of the boys in turn. "And this is Ginny," he said, nodding his head in the direction of the girl next to him, "Ron's younger sister."

"You're so lucky," Dudley said, once Harry had finished. "You have all these people around, at your house. All I have at home is mum and dad. I have to go out to find all of my friends, but luckily they all live pretty close by."

"The Weasley's aren't usually all here like this," Harry assured his cousin. "Their mum and dad decided to visit their other son, Charlie, in Romania over Christmas. We weren't expecting Bill to show up, but he did. And my friend Hermione has an aunt who lives nearby, so she's stopped by a couple of times during break."

Ginny smiled pleasantly as she listened to the conversation taking place right in front of her. This was definitely one of the major changes that had occurred as a result of her time traveling.

In her time, Dudley had been quite horrible to Harry, although their last encounter had been a bit more pleasant. As it turned out, Dudley had thanked Harry for saving his life, which had been the last thing Harry would've expected from his often violent and cruel cousin.

But this Dudley…this Dudley was very different from the one Ginny had known before. He hadn't grown up with a puny little cousin to pick on, and therefore had grown up to be a somewhat pleasant person. Granted, he had still been spoiled rotten, and he did feel above everyone else at school and on the playground, but here he had found family. In Ginny's time, Harry had been the one who yearned to know a family other than the Dursleys. But now, their roles seemed to be reversed.

Harry and Dudley had both grown up with loving families, but Harry had had the exposure to more than just your normal everyday parents. Harry had grown up more as Ron's brother than his best friend. And Hermione had always been a constant friend. Dudley had often resorted to bullying just because. And it had often resulted in his friends either just being his friends so they wouldn't be made fun of, or because they too wanted to pick on younger and smaller children. Hopefully, Ginny thought to herself, Dudley's exposure to his cousin would have an impact on the way he acted.

"Where's your dad?" Harry asked Dudley curiously.

Both Ginny and Petunia were distracted from their own conversation at this question, focusing their attention, instead, on the two cousins.

"Uh…why don't you ask mum," Dudley said somewhat uncomfortably.

Ginny frowned to herself. She hadn't pressed Petunia when they had shown up without Vernon, but she knew it had something to do with his opinion of Lily from all those years ago.

Harry turned to Petunia expectantly.

"Vernon…he wanted to spend some time with his sister," Petunia answered hesitantly. "He said he wanted to spend time with his family…not mine."

"That's okay," said Harry with a shrug, "I'll just have to meet him another time."

The rest of the dinner went on quite smoothly. Once he had filled his seemingly bottomless stomach, Ron helped Harry describe Hogwarts and all of the classes they had there to Dudley. Dudley, for his part, was absolutely fascinated by the fact that his cousin could do magic. This was another thing that made Ginny quite happy. Dudley Dursley had changed from the boy she had known before, clearly for the better. Growing up alone had done him some good.

After dinner, Ginny told Petunia and Dudley that Harry had a gift for them. At this point, Harry looked worriedly at his aunt. He hadn't met the two of them until the day before. He hadn't had time to buy them any Christmas presents. Ginny disappeared from the room for a moment, and when she came back, she was holding an owl cage, which held a magnificent tawny owl inside of it.

Dudley's face was simply amazed when he saw it, and Harry grinned at his aunt's thoughtfulness.

"Now you can write me when I go back to school," Harry told his cousin, who grinned in response.

"We should probably be going," Petunia said, looking at her watch as Dudley admired his new pet. "Thank you so much for inviting us over. We'll see you over the summer, Harry."

Ginny walked the two Dursley's back to front door, and once she came back she grinned at Sirius and Remus.

"Looks like Plan B is complete."

"You aren't ever going to tell us what all of these plans are, are you?" Ron asked no one in particular.

"Nope," Sirius said happily. "Now, dessert!"

Remus groaned. "No! We can't have dessert!"

"Why not?" Little Ginny asked curiously.

"The sugar, the caffeine, the holiday; it's all too much to handle with Sirius," Remus moaned into his hands, which were covering his face.

"Sugar?" Sirius asked, with wild eyes. "Where? I want the sugar. Give me sugar!"

"We're all going to die!" Remus said dramatically as Ginny brought the desserts out to the table.

"Look at it this way," Bill said, calmly overlooking the way Sirius was now attacking a plate of cookies, "You've survived living in a world that You-Know-Who was trying to take over. How hard could it be to survive a sugar-high Sirius? You've done it before."

"But a sugar-high Sirius is so much worse!" Remus insisted. "And I've _barely_ survived before."

"If he gets too out of hand, we can always lock him outside in the snow," Ron suggested. "That way he won't be bothering us."

"Snow?" Sirius questioned, looking up from his empty plate with a mad glint in his eyes. "I wanna play in the snow!"

"See. Problem solved. Good job, Ron," Ginny said. "Now…who wants to help with the dishes?"

With those words, everyone tried to get out of the room as surreptitiously as possible. Sirius was the first to manage to escape—_leave_. And, being furthest away from the door, Ginny and Harry were the unlucky victims—_volunteer dishwashers_.

"Oh, come on, Harry," Ginny told the boy good-naturedly after he had grumbled under his breath all the way to the kitchen with a stack of dirty dishes in hand. "Now you get to tell me all about school. I haven't heard a thing yet about who your favorite teachers are—or who the worst security guard is."

"Definitely Padfoot," Harry said, starting to wash the plates, then handing them to the younger Ginny, who dried them. "Who else would let a fully-grown mountain troll slip past him on Halloween."

"I thought they didn't know who let it in?" Little Ginny said.

Harry shook his head. "They don't. But we think it was Snape."

The older Ginny quickly turned her laughter into coughing.

"Whatever would give you that impression?" Ginny asked, feigning curiosity, and avoiding the strange looks little Ginny and Harry were giving her.

"He was limping when McGonagall, Quirrel, and him found us in the bathroom," Harry replied.

"Who exactly is us?" Ginny asked suspiciously.

"Erm…Me and Ron…and Hermione." Harry said softly.

"And what bathroom were you three in?" Ginny pressed.

"The girls bathroom," Harry said quickly.

Both Ginny's rose their eyebrows at this.

"But Ron and I only did it so that our best friend wouldn't be killed by the troll!" Harry added hurriedly.

Identical grins broke out on the girls' faces now, but when Harry glanced in little Ginny's direction she quickly turned away, a blush rising on her cheeks. Thankfully, Ginny was able to keep her growing smile under control when Harry then glanced in his aunt's direction.

"So…" Ginny said after a moment, trying to change the subject. "What do you think of Professor Snape?"

Harry looked at his aunt in amazement. "You're kidding, right? You actually need to ask me what I think about _Snape_? To put it simply, _he's pure evil_!"

"He can't be that bad," Ginny replied with a shrug. "Although he can be a bit odd, at times. When you go visit the Dursley's over the summer, you should ask Petunia what she remembers about him growing up."

"Aunt_ Petunia_ knew Professor_ Snape_?" Harry asked incredulously.

Ginny nodded, "He was your mum's first friend at Hogwarts." A sad sort of frown appeared on her face, then, "Your father and Sirius never liked him much," She shrugged, "The only thing that matters now is that Snape is innocent, Harry. He had nothing to do with the troll."

"How do you know?" Harry asked.

"Finish those dishes," Was all Ginny replied. "I'll get Ron and the twins to put everything away when you're done. And then you can go join everyone in the snow."

"Hurry up!" Little Ginny commanded Harry, speaking up again.

"I'm going as fast as I can," Harry protested.

"No you're not," She replied, "A snail could do this faster than you are. Hurry up!"

"Just do the dishes, please," Ginny interrupted, "Without breaking any, if you don't mind. I'm rather attached to this stuff."

Harry and Ginny glanced at each other and rolled their eyes, all arguing forgotten.

As the two children turned back to the sink, and pile of dirty dishes, Ginny smiled to herself. Everything was going according to plan perfectly. Not only was Harry becoming friends with his cousin…he was becoming friends with his future girlfriend as well.

Yes, things were definitely going well.

**Rewritten 5/15/12**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Hermione's here!"

"Then let her in!"

"I was going to, but there's a huge dog in the way!"

"Who are you calling a dog?"

"You!"

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Ahh!"

"Fred! George! You weren't supposed to do that until later!"

"_Sirius_!"

"Oops. Sorry, Moony…"

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Is anyone going to answer that?"

"I've got it."

A very hassled looking Harry finally opened the door for Hermione and her parents, just as Hermione was raising her hand to knock again.

"Sorry about that," Harry apologized, stepping back to the Grangers in. "We were having some…er…issues."

Hermione grinned skeptically. "Yeah, we heard."

Harry grinned back sheepishly as he led them into the living room, where everyone else was sitting, now very peacefully.

"Hi Hermione!" Ron called from where he was sitting on the ground near the couch with his little sister.

"Hello," Hermione replied brightly. She turned to the older Ginny. "Ginny, these are my parents."

"Hello, it's so nice to finally meet you," Ginny said pleasantly, getting up to shake Mr. and Mrs. Granger's hands. "Sit anywhere you like." She glanced at the rather large black dog that was taking up most of the couch, "Move, Sirius."

The dog lifted its head, and seemed to glare at Ginny, before getting up to go sit beside the twins. Ginny rolled her eyes at his behavior.

"Don't mind him," She told the Grangers, "He doesn't think we appreciate him enough when he's a dog."

Mr. and Mrs. Granger looked at Ginny strangely from their positions on the newly vacated couch.

"That's Sirius," Hermione told her parents, "Remember, I told you about him? He can turn into a dog. That's called an animagus."

"Oh," Mrs. Granger said, a look of understanding passing across her face now. "Sorry, dear. We'd forgotten."

Hermione shrugged and went to join Ron and Ginny on the floor, while Harry followed behind.

"So, how was visiting your aunt?" Hermione asked Harry, as she hadn't had time to hear the story on Christmas.

"It went really well, actually," Harry said excitedly. "Aunt Petunia got over hating mum, and she even likes me. And Dudley's not that bad, either. I'm going to stay with them for a couple weeks at the beginning of summer. I'm not sure why, but Aunt Ginny seemed really insistent about that."

"That's just one more thing we need to ask her about," Hermione said.

"Why do you need to ask her stuff?" Little Ginny asked curiously.

"No reason," Hermione said quickly.

"Hey Gin, why don't you go over and talk to Bill," Ron told his sister.

"Fine," Ginny said shortly, glaring suspiciously at the three first years before getting up and walking to the opposite side of the room where her oldest brother was sitting, talking to Remus.

Harry sighed as she left.

"Break is almost over," He said in a depressed-sounding voice. "I don't want to go back to school. It's so boring there."

Ron nodded his agreement, while Hermione looked scandalized that Harry would even dare to utter such a blasphemous statement about school.

"No, it isn't," Hermione insisted. "Think of it…all of those classes, devoted simply to magic. I don't see why you two think it isn't fun."

"Sure, the practical lessons are a bit fun," Ron admitted. "But all of that other work? And the essays and other monstrous piles of homework we get? Definitely not fun."

Hermione rolled her eyes at this, "You're just really lazy."

Ron was about to retort, when Harry cut him off.

"Hey, let's go ask Aunt Ginny to finish that story she's supposed to be telling us," He suggested. "She promised that she'd finish it today when you were here, Hermione."

Hermione looked in Ginny's direction. She nodded slightly to herself, then turned back to her two friends.

"I have a plan," She said, before getting up and walking over to Ginny. "You two stay here for a second."

"She's mad." Ron told Harry. "What the bloody hell is she doing? She's going to talk to her in the middle of everyone? I thought we didn't want anyone else to know."

"She's being successful," Harry said in awe as Hermione triumphantly led Ginny out of the room, while shooting Ron and Harry a meaningful look.

"Come on, Ron," Harry said, grabbing his friend's arm and dragging him out of the living room. "Let's go to the kitchen. I'm hungry."

"The kitchen is that way," Ron pointed out as Harry dragged him up the stairs to the room they were sharing.

Harry shook his head sadly, "We aren't really going to the kitchen. We're following Hermione and Aunt Ginny up to my room. _Remember?_ So we can talk to Aunt Ginny."

"Oh, yeah…" Ron said slowly.

Harry rolled his eyes as he pushed his bedroom door open to find Hermione and Ginny sitting side-by-side on his bed.

"Took you long enough," Hermione said.

"Someone forgot where we were going." Harry said jerking his head in Ron's direction. Hermione rolled her eyes as well.

"Ginny's going to finish her story now," Hermione then informed the two boys. "Sit down."

"_My_ room." Harry muttered as he and Ron sat on Ron's bed, across from the other two. Ginny stifled a smile.

"So, where did I leave off last time?" Ginny asked off-handedly.

"The war," Hermione said promptly.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"'Fred and George were so full of life before the war'." Hermione said, glaring at him.

"Okay, then." Ginny said, trying not to laugh at the two kids. "Yes, there was a war. But don't ask about that yet. It doesn't really come into play until your sixth year. I believe we were actually on the subject of first meetings. So, when you were on the train to Hogwarts you met Ron, Harry. He had no place to sit, and you were by yourself in the compartment." Ginny smiled warmly at Harry. "Ron was your first real friend."

"When I was _eleven_?" Harry asked in disbelief. Ginny nodded grimly now.

"The Dudley you know now is very different from the one you grew up with. Dudley Dursley's purpose in life was to make yours as miserable as possible," Ginny informed them. "Whenever someone was even remotely nice to you, he threatened them or beat them up. Dudley really wasn't a very kind little boy."

"I'll say," Ron muttered under his breath as Hermione nodded her agreement.

"Later on, during the train ride, you met Hermione while she was helping Neville to find his lost toad," Ginny began before Hermione cut her off.

"That's how we found each other on the train here!" Hermione said excitedly. "Neville came to my compartment looking for Trevor, and I offered to help him."

"Some things will never change," Ginny agreed.

"Like their arguing?" Harry indicated his two friends.

"Exactly. Now, where was I? Oh yes, train ride. To tell you the truth, I don't know much about what happened during your first year, only that the two of you finally became friends with Hermione after defeating that mountain troll in the girl's bathroom."

"You already knew!" Harry accused his aunt. "You knew that we had been in the girls bathroom, and you still gave me a hard time for it!"

Ginny smirked at him. "What did you expect? I wasn't exactly going to congratulate you for it."

"So the three of us didn't all become friends together until Halloween?" Hermione cut in.

"That's right," Ginny said. She paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "The one other thing I know about your first year, is about Quirrell."

"_Professor_ Quirrell?" Harry questioned. "What about him? You told me to stay away from him, but he looks harmless."

"He has Lord Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head," Ginny said quite bluntly.

Her pronouncement was met with a shocked silence. Ron was the first one to break it.

"_Our _Defense Against the Dark Arts_ professor_ has You-Know-Who—the most evil wizard of _all_ time—_sticking out of the back of his head_?" Ron said incredulously. Ginny nodded, then turned to Harry.

"Do you remember the letter Sirius gave you at the beginning of the year? It was the one I told you to stay away from Quirrell in," said Ginny.

Harry could only nod, still in shock about the announcement his aunt had just made about his greatest enemy and one of his teachers.

"In it, I told you that we were hoping Sirius would be placed at Hogwarts," Ginny elaborated. "The day he came to Hogwarts, Sirius had a little chat with Dumbledore. He told him all about Quirrell, and our plan to get rid of Voldemort. The only problem, is that the only person who can carry out the plan is you, Harry."

"Me?" Harry repeated.

"You," Ginny confirmed. "You've done it once before, why can't you do it again? Your parents did it three times each," She paused for a moment before continuing, "And in my time, you've done it five times. When I left, it was bordering on six."

"Ginny," Hermione began slowly, "You never really gave us a straight answer. Who exactly are you?"

Ginny gave them all a small smile. "Ginevra Molly Weasley. You've met me already, you know."

"You're my little sister," Ron stated in awe.

"Yep," Ginny said. "I'm also Hermione's best friend, and Harry's…do you really want to know?"

Harry nodded. "That was the one thing I could never figure out. We thought you might be Ron's sister, but we didn't understand why it had to be you that came back to fix everything. To tell you the truth, our Ginny and I aren't really close."

Ginny couldn't help but laugh. "We didn't really become good friends until the summer before your fifth year," She shot Harry a little smirk, "The summer you were almost expelled from Hogwarts."

Ron couldn't help but laugh at the expression on Harry's face, "Ha! You almost got expelled."

"Of course, that's not counting the official warning he got summer after first year, and the illegal magic he performed the summer after that," Ginny added.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed.

"What?" Harry asked, bewildered. "_I_ didn't do anything…yet."

"That's beside the point," Hermione began, before Ginny cut her off.

"Am I going to have to sit here all day listening to this?" Ginny questioned. "I thought you wanted to hear my story?"

"Sorry, Aunt Ginny," Harry mumbled.

"So, Ginny," Ron said, "You never said why it was you that came back in time."

"You know, it's rather funny that it was you who brought that back up again." Ginny said with a grin.

"Why?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"Because, you were against me and Harry from the start." Ginny replied nonchalantly.

"Against…you and…Harry?" Ron looked puzzled, and then realization seemed to dawn on him. "No! Absolutely not! You're lying. Ugh…that's disgusting to even think about."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ginny said loftily.

"Well neither do we," Hermione said, indicating herself and Harry.

"Harry and I…" Ginny began slowly, "Were dating when I came here."

Harry's jaw dropped.

In his Aunt Ginny's time, she had been dating him! He was dating his best friend's little sister. He was dating Ginny Weasley?

He looked at his aunt in shock.

"Are you serious?" He asked incredulously.

"Now that you mention that, don't you dare talk to Sirius about what I just told you," Ginny commanded. "Remus and Sirius already know all of this; they know who I really am, just not the specifics of my relationship with my Harry. Under no circumstances are you allowed to let Sirius make you ask little Ginny out. You're much too young to date."

"Yeah, _twenty years_ too young," Ron muttered.

"Don't even get me started on who you were dating," Ginny told her 'older' brother. "Of course, 'dating' might be wording it a bit strongly; you had literally only just gotten together shortly before I left. And I should add that everyone knew it was going to happen except the two of you. Clueless. That's what you are."

"Am not," Ron argued.

"Are too," Ginny argued back.

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are to-"

"Guys!" Hermione interrupted. "As fascinating as this new revelation is, let's try to keep on topic, shall we?"

Ginny nodded. "Where was I? Oh, Quirrell…

"So, at the end of first year, you defeated Quirrell, Harry—we'll get into the details later, it still needs to be done obviously. Over the summer, something strange seemed to be happening. No matter how many letters anyone wrote you, you never received any of them. A house-elf was stealing them, to try and discourage you from going back to Hogwarts. That'll probably happen while you're at the Dursley's, Harry, so just promise the elf you won't go back to Hogwarts, and we'll deal with it then."

"I always thought house-elves were weird," Ron muttered to himself.

"They are not," Hermione protested. "They're poor, enslaved creatures, who are seriously under-represented in the magical community—"

"Stop," Ginny commanded. "That's not until fourth year."

"We really _do_ have to live with her like that?" Ron groaned. "I can't take it!"

"You'll learn to live with it," Ginny said consolingly. "Anyway, at the beginning of your second year, the house-elf was so determined to stop you from going to Hogwarts, he sealed the platform shut so you two, Ron and Harry, couldn't get on the train. You almost got expelled once you finally got to Hogwarts. Dad had been tinkering with a muggle car, and he made it capable of flight, so the two of you decided to take that to school. Unfortunately for you, you were seen by muggles…and Professor Snape was the first person to find you after you'd…er…_landed_."

"We died, didn't we?" Ron said gloomily. "Professor Snape killed us when he found us, didn't he?"

At this point, Ginny couldn't help it; she burst out laughing when Ron said that.

"Professor Snape didn't kill you, Ron, don't worry," She stopped laughing abruptly. "Mum did send you a howler the next morning, though."

"_Why_ couldn't Snape have killed me?" Ron asked no one in particular.

Hermione ignored him, however; she was staring quite intently at Harry, who hadn't spoken a word in a while.

"Are you alright, Harry?" She asked him concernedly.

"Me and…Ginny?" Harry said incredulously. "_Ginny_?"

Hermione turned towards Ginny with a this-is-all-your-fault look on her face. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"It's not that bad, Harry," Ginny said.

"But it's Ginny," Harry said, not quite realizing whom he was talking to. "Ron's gonna _kill_ me."

"He right, you know," Ron told Ginny and Hermione.

"I promise, Ron won't kill you," Ginny said, glaring at her brother. "Besides, in my time we didn't even start going out until the end of your sixth year. That's not for another five and a half years."

"Although you did say lots of things changed because of your time travelling," Ron said thoughtfully.

Harry looked at his best friend with wide eyes.

"That isn't helping, Ron," Hermione hissed.

Ginny bit her lip as she looked at Harry's petrified features. She obviously could have done a better job breaking the news to Harry. Of course, he had been the one to ask her in the first place.

She was jolted from her thoughts by the sudden knock on the bedroom door. As she turned around, Sirius stuck his head in.

"Hey Gin, there's someone here to see you. She said her name is Destiny," He gave Ginny a meaningful look.

Ginny sighed in relief; Destiny was obviously here to help her out of the situation she had been warned about. "Let her in, Sirius."

Sirius opened the door wider, and Destiny stepped into the room. Both Hermione and Ron looked at her with interest as she and Ginny spoke in hushed voices by the door. Once Destiny was seemingly finished speaking, Ginny gave a small nod, and turned to Ron and Hermione.

"Come on, you two, Destiny wants to talk to Harry alone," Ginny said, ushering the other two kids out of the room.

Surprisingly enough, neither protested as they left, although Hermione did shoot Destiny one last curious glance before Ginny shut the bedroom door.

"What does she want to talk to him about?" Ron asked as they walked downstairs, back towards the party.

"It's none of our business, Ron," Hermione said suddenly, cutting Ginny off. "Besides, you didn't really think Ginny was going to tell us, do you?"

Ginny couldn't help but smile at Hermione's logic.

"Go on, you two," Ginny said as they reached the first floor. "Go back to the party, Harry will be down in a minute. I'm just going to get something from the kitchen."

Ron and Hermione walked back into the living room and Ginny to the kitchen.

Leaning against the counter, she took a deep breath. They knew the truth now. Not the whole truth, but enough for the time being. The trio didn't really need to know what would happen during their second year until first year was actually over. The next step would be getting rid of Quirrell, but that could wait until the end of the year. If everything went according to plan, and if Quirrell took as much time to get to the stone as he had before, there would be no need to tell Harry of what his role would be yet.

Taking another deep breath, Ginny stood up straight again. After grabbing the food she had come back here for she headed out of the kitchen once more.

Who cared about evil dark lords right now? That could all wait until the end of the school year.

It was New Years Eve: she had a party to get back to.

**Rewritten 5/24/12**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

"We're all going to die!" Hermione said suddenly, looking up from the textbook she had previously been reading quietly in the library. "When we take our exams we won't know anything, and we're going to fail, and then they're going to kick us out of Hogwarts, and we'll fail at life, and then we'll _die_!"

"I think you're over-reacting a bit, 'Mione," Harry said in a much quieter voice, concern lacing his tone. "You're the smartest person in our year."

"But this is why we'll all fail at life," Hermione argued. "If _I_ can't pass these stupid exams, then _no one_ can!"

The end of their first year at Hogwarts was drawing close and this meant that they would be having final exams soon. Hermione, of course, was very worried about whether or not she was going to pass.

"Miss Granger!" A scandalized-looking Madame Pince exclaimed, appearing from behind a shelf. "Be quiet! This _is_ a library; people are _trying _to study. I should have Mr. Filch give you a detention for that outburst."

"I'll take care of her for you, Madame Pince," A voice said from behind her.

Madame Pince jumped as Sirius appeared out of nowhere. She gave him a glare.

"Very well, Mr. Black," She said after a moment, before walking away.

Sirius watched her leave for a moment, before turning to the trio, still sitting at the table, with a grin on his face.

"Hello," He said pleasantly, taking a seat in between Harry and Ron. "Fancy meeting you three here."

Harry glanced around the library to make sure there was no one near them. "Did Ginny say it was time?"

Sirius turned to Hermione. "Miss Granger, I'd like to see you in my office, if it isn't too much trouble. Madame Pince seemed to think you were a disturbing the peace of her library. Your two friends may join us, if they wish. No doubt they'll have statements to give."

Harry rolled his eyes at his godfather's acting. Sometimes, the man reminded him of the stories he'd heard about Mad-Eye Moody, the old Auror. Sirius could be so paranoid at times.

The trio obediently followed Sirius to his office, which was on the fifth floor. They sat down on the couch in the middle of the room, and Sirius sat across from them in 'his' armchair. In addition to be the entrance to his living quarters, Sirius' office was also the headquarters for his one man security force.

"Ginny sent me a letter," Sirius said shortly. Harry leaned forward in his seat eagerly. "But before I get into the only part that you want to hear about, she asked me to tell you three something just in case anyone gets suspicious and asks. We have decided to institute Plan D."

Harry and Ron exchanged glances.

"What's Plan D?" Hermione asked curiously.

"I've got a better question," Ron cut in, before Sirius could reply. "How many of these 'Plans' do you people have?"

"Plan D," Sirius began, ignoring Ron, "Is a measure we decided to take in case Ginny needs to directly send Harry a letter, or anything else really. We don't want to arouse suspicion, because Dumbledore knows what Dudley's owl looks like, now, after all those letters he's sent Harry. So, to avoid anyone's suspicions, we are going to pretend that Ginny is my girlfriend."

Harry's jaw dropped. "Are you _serious_?"

"Why, as a matter of fact, I am." Sirius informed his godson. "But I believe I've been telling you for years, now, that I want you to call me 'Padfoot.'"

"You know what I meant," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "You're telling the truth that you and Ginny are going to pretend to be dating each other, just so no one wonders who's sending me mail?"

"Yep," Sirius said.

"You people are weird," Ron concluded.

"Nope," Sirius contradicted, "Just cautious. And actually, it was Moony who came up with the idea. Ginny and I just agreed to it."

"You've finally done it," Harry moaned into his hands. "You've corrupted Moony!"

"I know," Sirius said in a depressed voice. "It took me a whole twenty one years to do it, too."

"How extremely terrible for you," Hermione commented dryly. "But anyway, if that wasn't the important news, then what is?"

Sirius brightened up immediately. "Ginny says, and I quote 'The time to get Quirrell is near. The last day of their final exams is the day he went for the stone. Dumbledore won't be there, and if they go to the teachers, they'll just get suspicious.' There was a lot more after that, but that's the only part I've committed to memory."

"So we have until the last day of exams to make a plan to get Voldemort out of Quirrell." Hermione said out loud to herself. "What about studying?"

"Relax," Sirius said. "Ginny said something about a plan in her letter, as well. Harry just has to touch Quirrell, and Voldy won't be able to stand staying in his body. The problem is, that's what happened before, in Ginny's time…and Quirrell died."

"I…killed someone?" Harry said softly.

"Not really," Sirius said swiftly. "Quirrell was still alive. It's just that Quirrell had, in a way, been dependent on Voldemort for so long, that he didn't survive when Voldemort left him."

"So I _did_ kill him," Harry said. "I was the one who made Voldemort leave Quirrell's body, and that made him die. I'm a murderer!"

"Harry," Sirius began soothingly, "You aren't a murderer at all. In a way, you saved Quirrell from an even worse fate. If he had lived, he would have spent the rest of his life in Azkaban. I'm not saying Quirrell died happy, but he did die in a better way than he would have there."

"But either way, I'm going to be the reason Quirrell dies," Harry concluded. "I'm going to _kill_ a _teacher_!"

"Have I ever told you about my teachers, from back when I was in school?" Sirius asked randomly.

"…No." Harry said slowly.

"Every teacher I had was there for all seven years I was at Hogwarts," Sirius said. "Except for Defense Against The Dark Arts."

"I think Charlie told me something about this once," Ron said excitedly. "Isn't the job cursed or something like that?"

Sirius nodded. "A little less than fifty years ago, a man named Tom Riddle applied for that job. He had just finished his own schooling at Hogwarts, where the teachers had all loved him, and he had been a model student. Dumbledore, however, thought Riddle was too young to teach. He didn't get the job. Not so long after that, he shed the name Tom Riddle forever, and was thenceforth known as Lord Voldemort."

"Voldemort wanted to teach? Here?" Hermione was amazed. "It's a good thing he didn't get the job, then, now that we know what he became."

"No one has held the DADA job for more than a year since Riddle asked for the job and didn't get it," Sirius told the trio. "People say it's cursed. For the past…forty-eight years, I think is the exact number, it's gotten harder and harder for Dumbledore to find someone to fill the job."

"But sending Quirrell to jail would have made the curse come true, too," Harry protested. "Isn't there anything else we can do? I don't want to kill someone—or be the cause of someone's death."

"There isn't anything else you can do, Harry," Sirius said firmly. "There isn't anything else you can do that would get Voldemort out of Quirrell's body and let Quirrell survive it all. And even if you did kill Quirrell, it _was_ in self-defense. It won't be your fault he died. Ginny told me she thinks Quirrell shouldn't have died in her time. She said Voldemort probably killed him as he deserted his body, because Quirrell failed him. It's just what Voldemort does: if you succeed, you get rewarded; if you fail, you die."

Harry opened his mouth to say something else, but Hermione cut him off.

"Harry," She said gently, "It won't be your fault. It's just the way things happened. For all we know, Voldemort could have planned it this way to set you up for murder. Voldemort's twisted that way."

"Yeah, Harry," Ron chimed in. "And either way, 'Mione and I don't care. We're your friends, and we don't think you did it on purpose. You'll be fine."

Harry nodded slowly, before turning back to Sirius.

"So," he began, "What exactly are we going to have to face when Quirrell tries to get the stone?"

* * *

Harry blinked slowly to attempt to clear his blurred vision. There was something heavy lying across him. It was big and black, and quite furry-looking. Groggily, Harry tried to sit up.

"Padfoot?" He asked, blinking his eyes again so that his godfather came just a bit more into focus. He suddenly realized that he wasn't wearing his glasses.

At the sound of Harry's voice, the shaggy black dog sat up and licked his face.

"Get off of him, now," A familiar-sounding voice said from the side of the bed. "You're going to crush him."

"Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked in amazement, once Padfoot had jumped off his bed and Harry had found his glasses on the bedside table. "What are you doing here?"

Petunia rose her eyebrows at him. "I was enjoying a nice, peaceful sleep when I was quite rudely awakened by an owl at the window. It was from Dumbledore. Apparently my nephew decided to take on the most evil wizard of all time without telling any teachers."

Harry grinned sheepishly. "They wouldn't have believed me."

Petunia smiled. "That's what I said when Snape suggested taking points off of Gryffindor. I knew there was a reason I never liked that man."

Harry began to nod, when what she had said fully sank in. "Wait, Aunt Ginny mentioned something about that, didn't you and Snape grow up together or something?

Petunia pursed her lips. "When I was a girl, he lived in the same town as we did. Lily became friends with him a few years before they went to Hogwarts. They went to school together, you know." She shook her head here. "I didn't like him because his family was different. And because he was like Lily." She gave Harry a small smile. "Now I can despise him for having it in for my nephew."

"And I despise him for being a greasy git," Sirius put in cheerfully, after changing out of his animagus form. He turned to Harry. "How do you feel?"

Now that the large dog was no longer sitting on top of him, Harry sat up all the way.

"I'm okay," He replied. "I could be better. So, how long have I been out?"

Sirius looked at Petunia uneasily.

"Three days," Petunia said promptly, rolling her eyes at Sirius' hesitance.

"Three days?" Harry repeated incredulously. "B-But what about the Quidditch final? Did they reschedule it? I have to play!"

"You sort of slept through it," Sirius said. "Gryffindor lost, by the way. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do better next year." He frowned slightly, "Although, Slytherin did win the house cup because of that."

"Dudley can't wait to see you when school ends," Petunia said, changing the topic. "He wanted to come with me here, but I made him stay home to go to school. He's not very pleased that you went and almost got yourself killed."

"I'm fine," Harry insisted. He looked around for Madame Pomfrey. "When do you think I can get out of here?"

"It'll be soon," Sirius said. "You're all healed up now."

Harry nodded as Petunia stood up.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I should be getting home, now that you're awake," She apologized. "It's been three days already, and I'm sure you really will be fine."

"That's alright," Harry said. "I'll see you in a week, Aunt Petunia."

Petunia smiled. "Good-bye Harry."

After giving him a quick hug, she proceeded to walk out of the Hospital Wing. Once she was gone, Sirius turned back to Harry, who was still sitting in his bed.

"Lily would have paid big money to see her sister acting like that," Sirius commented. "But anyway, there was something else I wanted to tell you. Before you leave here, Dumbledore wants to talk to you about something."

"He probably wants to interrogate me about how I knew about the stone," Harry said with a sigh.

"You know the drill, kid," Sirius said, standing up as well, now. "Moony didn't teach you Occlumency for nothing."

"Where're you going?" Harry asked as Sirius started walking out the door.

"I'll be back," Sirius reassured his godson. "I told Ron and Hermione that I would tell them as soon as you woke up. Poppy wouldn't let them in to see you before."

Harry nodded as Sirius, too, left the Hospital Wing. He laid back down, and was about to fall asleep again, when the doors opened up again. Thinking it was Sirius with Ron and Hermione, Harry sat up quickly. When he looked to the door, however, it was to see only Professor Dumbledore standing there.

"Ah, hello, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said with a small smile. "I see you are awake again."

Harry jerked his head slightly, in what was supposed to be a nod. Dumbledore advanced towards Harry's bed, so that he was standing right in front of the chair Petunia had been occupying just a few minutes before.

"I wanted to speak with you, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore began, "About the reason you came to be here, in Madame Pomfrey's care."

"I…see," Harry replied slowly.

"A few days ago, I received an urgent letter from the Ministry, telling me that I was needed in London," Dumbledore told Harry. "However, almost as soon as I arrived, I realized that the place I really needed to be was the one I had just left. I returned almost immediately to Hogwarts. I was on my way back to my office when I was met by Mr. Black carrying your unconscious body up to the infirmary."

Harry bit his lip as Dumbledore paused here, and gave Harry a piercing stare.

"Harry," Dumbledore said softly. "Why didn't you come to any of the teachers or, at the very least, Mr. Black about your suspicions of Professor Quirrell?"

"I didn't think anyone would believe me," Harry admitted, looking innocently at the Headmaster. "People hardly ever seem to believe kids, even if they are telling the truth."

Dumbledore sighed heavily, closing his eyes in the process. When he opened them again, he gave Harry a gentle smile. "You are a very lucky boy, Mr. Potter. In the course of your young life, you have already been able to escape Voldemort twice. But please, Mr. Potter, in the future do try to tell someone when you feel the need to go off on a heroic mission to save the wizarding world. Can you do that, for me?"

Harry nodded eagerly, looking straight into the older man's eyes. As he did so, though, he could feel Dumbledore looking further. Without even thinking about what he was doing, Harry placed a sincere promise to not go off exploring anymore at the front of his mind, and closed a door on all of his other thoughts. After a moment, Dumbledore broke eye contact. His gaze lingered momentarily on Harry's innocent-looking face.

"Good day, then, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said finally. "I hope to see you back on your feet again soon."

"Good-bye, Professor," Harry called out as Dumbledore exited the room.

* * *

Later that night, Dumbledore sat in his office, his elbows on his knees, fingertips pressed together, staring thoughtfully into the fire.

He had tried to use Legilimency on the boy and, for the most part, it had worked. He knew that Harry wouldn't recklessly go try to save the day again. But that was all he knew.

He had been able to sense Harry's sincerity, when he had ventured into the boy's mind. But that had been the only thing he could sense.

Except for the promise that he wouldn't wander off like that again without telling someone first, Harry Potter's head had been completely empty.

Dumbledore gave a small sigh as he thought about this. There was only one real explanation for that. Somehow, Harry Potter was a successful Occlumens.

But how, if Harry had been living with Muggles his whole life, was that even possible?

Dumbledore sat in his office for hours, pondering that very question. But as the darkness eventually faded to dawn, he still couldn't come up with an answer. As the sunlight poured into the office, Dumbledore sighed one final time and stood up. He would find the answer to this mystery, no matter what it took, he would find the answer…

**Rewritten 5/28/12**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

"Harry! Harry, over here!"

Harry turned in the direction of the familiar voice as he took a few steps further away from the entrance to Platform 9¾. He found Dudley waving his arm enthusiastically at him, with Petunia standing beside him.

"Hey, Dudley," Harry said, once he was next to his cousin. "Hi, Aunt Petunia."

"Hello, Harry," Petunia said pleasantly. "It's nice to see you on your feet again—"

"About that," Dudley cut in, stepping forward so that he was right in front of Harry. "What's this I hear about you going to attack some evil guy and landing yourself in the hospital?"

Harry shrugged. "It's nothing big. I already defeated him as a baby, and this time he didn't even have a real body."

"That sounds very interesting, Harry," Petunia said quickly, "But do you think the two of you could discuss this in the car, perhaps? I'm sure there's still a Statute of Secrecy in your…world."

"Oops," Harry said softly, biting his lip.

"It's OK, Harry," Dudley said, prying the other boys' hands from the trolley in front of him, and beginning to push it away himself. "Let's go, mum. I can't wait to show Harry his new room."

* * *

"We might have a problem." Sirius said, bursting into the kitchen where Ginny and Remus had been talking.

"When did you get home, Sirius?" Ginny asked, looking up. "I didn't hear you."

"Just now," Sirius replied hurriedly. "I took the train home, so I would have an excuse to see Petunia picking Harry up."

"Was the whale there?" Remus asked with interest. "I've been wondering how he's going to react to Harry spending time with them. Lily always said he was rather nasty around her."

"He wasn't there," Sirius said impatiently. "But you'll never guess who was."

"Dumbledore? Seeing if Harry really did live with his aunt?" Ginny guessed.

"Close enough," Sirius said darkly. "Apparently Dumbledore's repeated refusals to be minister haven't tarnished his reputation with the Ministry. Dawlish, that Auror, was there tailing them. Thankfully Dudley and Petunia didn't let anything slip about Harry just starting to live with them. Although Dudley did come awfully close."

"What exactly did he say?" Remus asked urgently. "They might interpret it wrong."

"He said he couldn't wait to show Harry his new room," Sirius replied, sinking into a chair at the table.

"They've redone Harry's room," Ginny said almost immediately. "It looks completely different with the new color and the new furniture."

Sirius exhaled slowly.

"Let's just hope they think exactly that."

* * *

Dumbledore frowned slightly as the portly man before him paced back and forth on the other side of the desk.

"It just doesn't make sense, Dumbledore," The other man said, pausing in his pacing. "How did the boy show up after all these years? You're sure that godfather of his wasn't hiding him?"

"I've been to Mr. Black's home previously," The headmaster replied. "Harry would have been just a child at the time. He wasn't there, Minister."

"We've monitored his aunt's house for years," Fudge protested. "Not once did we detect a bit of magic. He might not have been school-aged yet, but something would have appeared. Even you didn't find anything. And you track all under-age magic so that the children can be invited to come to Hogwarts. How did Harry Potter evade all of that?"

"If I might interrupt, Minister?" A man's voice said from the shadows.

"What is it, Dawlish?" Fudge asked, irritated at being interrupted.

Dawlish stepped out from the corner where he had previously been standing quietly, observing.

"The boy might have been taken out of the country," Dawlish said. "He couldn't be tracked by our Ministry that way."

"Yes, but who would have been the one to take him?" Fudge questioned, turning back to Dumbledore. "Could the werewolf have done it? He was a friend of the Potters, wasn't he?"

"_Mr. Lupin_ has been living with Mr. Black," Dumbledore responded, his frown growing more pronounced. "And he has very strong loyalties. He wouldn't have removed Harry from his aunt's care, even if he didn't agree with my leaving him there. As it is, as far as I know he was unaware about Harry's placement there, as I know I did not tell him."

For a moment, all was silent in Dumbledore's office; save for the occasional noises his various trinkets made as they whirred with life. Then, Dawlish spoke up again.

"There is another way the child could have been hidden," He began slowly.

Both Dumbledore and Fudge looked at him expectantly.

"The Fidelius Charm."** (1)**

* * *

"Here we are, home again," Petunia announced, bringing the car to a halt in front of the tidy-looking house Harry remembered from the Christmas holiday. "Dudley, help Harry bring his things inside and show him his room. When you're done, come downstairs for dinner. Your father should be home by then."

Both boys nodded. No more than five minutes later, Harry stood in the doorway of what was going to be his room for the next three weeks.

"Do you like it?" Dudley asked uneasily. "Mum and I weren't sure if you'd like the color blue; we painted it a few weeks ago."

"It's nice," Harry said, stepping into the room. "It's almost like the color of my room back ho—at Aunt Ginny's house."

"She's not really your aunt, is she?" Dudley said, coming into the room now as well. "If she was, then you wouldn't have to be here right now. That Dumbledore fellow would have sent you straight to her."

Harry shook his head. "We aren't really related, but it's kind of confusing to explain. And to tell you the truth, I'm not entirely sure why they all wanted me to come here to begin with. All I know is that Padfoot thinks Dumbledore is getting suspicious, and that I'm supposed to have lived here my whole life."

"Do you think Hedwig will get along well with Lily?" Dudley asked, changing the subject as he lifted the sleeping owls' cage onto the vacant desk.

"I still can't believe you named your owl after my mum," Harry said with a small smile and another shake of his head. "How did you get Aunt Petunia to agree to that?"

"She didn't," Dudley replied easily with a smile of his own. "But she'll learn to love it."

"What about your dad?" Harry asked suddenly, and a moment later he regretted mentioning his uncle.

A frown had appeared on Dudley's face, and for a full minute he didn't say anything.

"Dad…" Dudley began, but paused again, trying to find the right words, "Dad has a set opinion about everything. And he has these expectations for what he thinks everything should be like. Frankly, I think he's too close-minded about everything." Downstairs, they heard the front door slam shut. "You'll see what I mean in a few minutes. Just remember: Dad didn't like Aunt Lily for a reason. And it really wasn't a very good one, in my opinion."

A short while later, the two cousins made their way downstairs to the kitchen for dinner. Harry followed Dudley through the door but stopped dead as soon as he saw the table. Sitting there at its head was the largest man Harry had ever seen in his life.

"Oh, Harry, come here," Petunia said, gesturing him over when she saw him standing still in the doorway. She turned to the man sitting across from her. "Vernon, this is Harry, Lily's son."

Vernon grunted, barely sparing Harry a glance.

"Sit next to me, Harry," Dudley said, patting the seat beside him and ignoring his father.

The rest of the meal passed by uneventfully. Which, of course, surprised Harry when he thought about it, as he was about to fall asleep later that night. Moony had told him so many stories of things that Lily had told him in school. And they were all about how terrible of a person Vernon was.

Luckily for Harry though, Vernon Dursley seemed to have changed. Instead of using every minute of his day to insult people, he was spending even more time simply ignoring their existence. This could work out to his advantage. The only problem was that he had no idea how long this change was going to last…

* * *

_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

_I hope your summer has been as enjoyable as mine has been so far. Although, as good of a time as I have been having, I really can't wait for summer to be over so that we can start the new school year._

_That really isn't why I'm writing to you, though. I must admit, I have been having a good time with my aunt and my cousin, but I've lived with them my whole life. As you know, at the beginning of last September, I met my godfather for the first time in my life that I can remember. Over the Christmas Break, I was so generously allowed to stay at his house with him, which led to the two of us becoming closer to each other._

_This brings me to the main point of my letter. I know that Aunt Petunia is my legal guardian and I am supposed to be living with her and all that, but I feel like I should be able to spend some more time with my godfather. That's where I run into a slight problem. I have no idea if it's allowed for me to spend the rest of my holiday with him. I have already talked to my aunt about this, and she says that it's fine with her if I do this, but she said I should write to ask you. Just in case. She mentioned something about how wizarding laws might be different from muggle ones._

_So what do you think? Would it be all right for me to spend half of my summer holiday with my godfather, Sirius Black? _

_Aunt Petunia and Sirius have been in correspondence with each other, and they agreed that the best time for me to go to Sirius's house would be at some point during the week before my birthday. That would mean I would leave within the next week. Also, my cousin, Dudley, would be accompanying me for about two weeks so that he and his parents both can have their own little vacations from each other._

_Once again, all of the adults involved have already given their consent to this plan. We are just unsure of whether it would be allowed, given the circumstances, and would like your help with the matter._

_Please try to reply soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Harry Potter_

Dudley couldn't hold back the grin that was threatening to break out on his face as he read the letter Harry had written.

"You sound so formal," He told his shorter cousin. "I bet Dumbledore's gonna think Mum was the one who really wrote the note and you just signed it."

Harry shrugged, and gave Dudley a sly grin. "It would just go to show how very much Aunt Petunia cares about my happiness."

Dudley shook his head in amusement as he glanced back down at the letter.

"But this, right here," he began, pointing to a spot towards the end of the page, "Is it true? Am I really going to come with you to your other house?"

"Aunt Petunia and Aunt Ginny both said they didn't mind," Harry said. "And Padfoot promised not to prank you just because you're a muggle. Aunt Ginny said that he said something about the two of you being related anyway."

Dudley rose his eyebrows questioningly here.

"I'm serious," Harry insisted. "Padfoot says you're something like his adopted nephew in-law. Since he and dad were 'brothers' and dad was married to mum who was your aunt."

"You have a strange godfather…" Dudley said slowly after a moment. "Still, I bet he'll be a better relative than Aunt Marge. You're so lucky you haven't met her yet. She's so annoying. That's where dad was on Christmas, when mum and I came over for dinner. He was over at her house."

"Yeah, but didn't you say she gives you loads of money?" Harry questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"She's still really annoying," Dudley replied. "Her dogs are crazy."

"_Harry!_" Petunia called from inside—the two boys had been sitting in the backyard. "Did you send that letter yet? Dumbledore won't let you go if you never ask him."

"Hedwig is in your room, right?" Harry asked, turning to Dudley.

Dudley nodded. "I'll go get her."

Harry leaned back into the bench as Dudley disappeared into the house. He sat there, staring contemplatively into the bushes for a few minutes until he realized that the bushes were staring back—with big, green, tennis-ball like eyes.

Slowly, Harry stood up, pretending as if he hadn't seen the eyes. As cautiously as he could without scaring the thing, whatever it was, Harry approached the bushes. For some reason, he never had the thought that whatever it was might be dangerous. The creature didn't seem to think Harry had noticed it, however, because as soon as he was right in front of it, Harry reached in and, with his lightning-fast Quidditch reflexes, was able to grab whatever it was by the cloth garment it was wearing.

He pulled the thing out of the bushes, and held it up to his face.

"You're a house elf," Harry said after a moment.

Slowly, the little creature with large, bat-like ears, and tennis ball shaped eyes nodded. It was then that Harry noticed he was holding onto it by the filthy pillowcase it was wearing. Quickly, Harry set it back down on the ground. The house elf rocked back and forth uneasily on his feet.

"Why were you spying on me?" Harry finally asked.

"Not spying, sir," The house elf said. "Dobby would never spy on Harry Potter, sir." As if to emphasize his point, the little elf shook his head emphatically before continuing. "Dobby is here to give Harry Potter a warning, sir."

"A warning?" Harry said sharply. "A warning about what?"

"Terrible things are going to happen at Hogwarts this year, sir," Dobby said. He paused and looked around the deserted garden before beckoning Harry closer. "For his own safety, Harry Potter must not return to Hogwarts. It is too dangerous."

"What's too dangerous?" Harry questioned. "It can't be Voldemort again, ca—"

"Speak not the name, sir!" Dobby cried. "Speak not the name."

"Oh, er, right," Harry said awkwardly. "Sorry, I forgot some people don't like to hear his name. My friend, Ron—"

But Harry stopped here abruptly. He had tried not to think about it, now, during his time with his cousin. But not once, the entire summer, had his friends tried to contact him in any way. It was odd, now that he thought about. And as he began to dwell on it, he remembered what Aunt Ginny had told him, Ron, and Hermione over Christmas.

"_Over the summer, something strange seemed to be happening. No matter how many letters anyone wrote you, you never received any of them. A house-elf was stealing them, to try and discourage you from going back to Hogwarts. That'll probably happen while you're at the Dursleys, Harry, so just promise the elf you won't go back to Hogwarts, and we'll deal with it then."_

This was the house elf Ginny had warned him about. And since Ginny seemed to know exactly what she was talking about, Harry decided to go along with what she had told him.

"How do you think I should avoid these…terrible things?" Harry asked Dobby curiously, at which he looked simply amazed that Harry had agreed so easily.

"Harry Potter should not return to Hogwarts this year, sir." Dobby repeated eagerly. "Then sir could avoid the danger."

"That's what I'll do, then," Harry said resolutely. "Thanks for the warning, Dobby. I'll be sure to stay far away from Hogwarts this year."

A pleased smile appeared on Dobby's face.

"Thank you, good sir," He said to Harry. "Dobby must be going now, sir, his masters will be wondering where Dobby has gotten to. Good-bye, Harry Potter, sir."

"Good-bye Dobby," Harry said, before the house elf disappeared with a loud _crack_.

"What was _that_?" Dudley asked, walking out of the shadows of the kitchen door with Hedwig on his arm.

"That was a house elf," Harry informed his cousin, still staring resolutely at the place Dobby had disappeared from.

"What did it want?" Dudley asked curiously.

"It wanted me to stay away from Hogwarts."

Dudley was silent for a moment, processing the information.

Then, "Well are you?"

Harry shrugged. "I told him I would. But Ginny mentioned something about him to me over Christmas Break. I just did what she told me to do."

The two boys were silent for a while as Harry got the letter he had written to Dumbledore what seemed like ages ago, now, and tied it to Hedwig's leg. Neither of them spoke until Hedwig had taken off, and disappeared into the clouds.

"Why would a house elf not want you to go back to Hogwarts?" Dudley finally asked.

"I have no idea." Harry said, turning to face his cousin. "But that's just one thing we can ask Aunt Ginny when we go back to her house next week."

**a/n-(1) Just to be clear, this is technically possible, but it is not what happened. Ginny hid Harry in plain sight in the midst of a village with a large wizarding population, which masked all of his accidental magic.**

**Rewritten 5/28/12**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Ginny sighed as she turned the pages of one of the many picture albums she had just found while cleaning the house. She had started the project a week after Harry had left for school ten months ago and had gone through the whole house from top to bottom. In that time she had been forced to conclude that in the eleven and a half years they had been living there, they had all collected a lot of junk.

But now, as was mentioned before, she was going through the stacks of old picture albums that she had found in the window seat of the living room, which seemed to be more like a storage chest than a place to sit. In short, Ginny had absolutely no idea how the picture albums had come to be where she found them, and she also had no idea how she had never known about the window seat being hollow.

Anyway, Ginny sighed again as she flipped over yet another page. This album was one of the earlier ones. With a reminiscent smile, Ginny's hand lightly brushed the picture of her and Harry that showed the two of them sitting in front of the Christmas tree on their very first Christmas together. Sirius had taken the picture just as little Harry managed to rip the last bit of wrapping paper off of the package.

It all seemed so very far away to Ginny right now. For the past eleven or so years, she had been living here, in a world so different from her own. It was the world she had created.

Eleven and a half years ago, in the midst of the Final Battle at Hogwarts, she had suddenly found herself in the deserted yard of her childhood home. A girl, who had looked to be her age, had told Ginny that she had brought herself here to save Harry—before his miserable life began. And Ginny had done it.

She had done what Destiny told her to do. Ginny had removed Harry from his biological aunt's care; had convinced a man, shunned by society, to free a man he had once called a friend from the worst prison imaginable; had created a little family for the boy she had promised to raise; and had loved that boy. And all of these without a single question as to why exactly she was doing it. But now, she had questions, and lots of them.

Ginny was yanked suddenly from her thoughts as the floor behind her creaked with the pressure of someone walking on it. She quickly spun around to find none other than Destiny standing there, her normal serene expression visible on her face.

"Why do you always do that?" Ginny questioned.

"Do what?" Destiny asked, arching an eyebrow, but otherwise keeping the serene expression on her face.

"Creep up on unsuspecting people," Ginny replied, "And remain so perfectly calm about it, while managing to look as if you should be related to Albus Dumbledore."

"I am an angel," Destiny said shortly.

Ginny rose her eyebrows here.

"I am an Angel of Destiny." She clarified. "Also, I like being mysterious."

"Oh, well… that explains a lot," Ginny said sarcastically. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"You have questions," Destiny said simply. "And I thought now would be a good time to give answers. He'll be here soon, anyway."

"Harry?" Ginny said hopefully. Destiny nodded. "Good. I've missed that kid so much."

"What about the man?" Destiny asked softly. "Have you missed him more?"

Ginny could only nod, and Destiny left it at that.

"You have questions," Destiny repeated, "So ask away."

Ginny was silent for a moment, trying to think of a way to put into words what she had been wondering for years, now.

"Why am I here?" She asked finally. "I know you said that you brought me back in time because I said that I wished I could fix things for Harry, but that really can't be the only reason."

Destiny's lips curved up into a small smile.

"When you first met me," Destiny began, "Did I look different than I do now?"

"You were older then," Ginny replied. "The person I met is in your future."

Here, Destiny shook her head.

"The world around us is ever-changing. Just because I looked that way before, doesn't mean I will again. And _you_ look completely lost right now."

Ginny nodded. "I don't get what this has to do with why I'm here."

"The Harry who stayed with your family the summer before your first year had a family that hated him," Destiny said. "But things changed when you came here. Harry now lives with a loving family, and the family that hated him the first time around doesn't hate him here. The world changed. And you being here did that."

"So I'm here to change the world?" Ginny questioned.

"Yes…and no," Destiny said slowly. "Just the fact that you're here, giving Harry the loving family he needed, is changing the outcome of the war. But you are also here for two other reasons. One, because you asked to help; and two…because you being here is saving your life."

"Do I even want you to tell me what that means?" Ginny asked suspiciously.

"No," Destiny said shortly. "But I'll still tell you, because you really want to know."

Ginny looked up at Destiny with an expectant expression on her face.

"I am an Angel of Destiny," Destiny said again. "I might not specifically be your angel, but I do know what would have happened in your life if you had stayed in your own time."

"Something happened to Harry," Ginny said softly. "That's how you know, isn't it?"

Slowly, Destiny nodded.

"He sacrificed himself to save the world. He went up against Voldemort, and killed him. But he also killed himself in the process," Destiny told Ginny. "You were devastated, naturally. But, as the years passed, that didn't change. It was as if when Harry died a part of you died as well. I wanted to help you, but since I wasn't your Angel, there was nothing I could do directly. So, I reviewed your life; everything you ever said and did. That was how I found out that you said that you would go back to save Harry if you could. Since I am Harry's Angel, I was able to bring you back here to help change his Destiny."

Ginny was silent for a moment. Then, she looked at Destiny with a confused expression on her face.

"So, after all he went through, Harry's grand destiny was to die saving the world?" She questioned.

"It wasn't," Destiny said, her expression suddenly no longer serene. "He was supposed to survive. But when a person turns bad so does the Angel. Somehow, Voldemort's changed something so that Harry died. He couldn't save Voldemort in the process, because an Angel isn't allowed to do that…but he still got revenge on Harry for killing Voldemort by getting Harry himself killed."

"That's messed up." Ginny said, shaking her head. "But if Voldemort's Angel messed things up before, can't he do it again?"

"…Yes." Destiny said slowly. "But if you prepare Harry well enough, that won't be a problem. We really are sworn not to interfere."

"But what about what you're doing right now?" Ginny questioned. "Aren't you interfering?"

"Technically, no," Destiny replied. "I'm not interfering, I'm helping to guide. And it's not like the rules affect you anyway: you don't belong here. But that's also why things worked out with the version of myself that brought you here. You can stay because she doesn't technically belong in this reality."

"Speaking of…the other version of you," Ginny said slowly, "Why was she still around if Harry was…dead?"

"I already told you that Harry wasn't meant to die," Destiny reminded Ginny. "Not then. Not for a long time after that. He was destined to die after living a long life. The original Destiny you met will eventually cease to be, but not until such time as Harry should have died." She paused here as if she had heard someone coming towards them. "Harry will be home soon with his cousin, so I should leave now. But remember, if you ever have any more questions, I'll always be close by."

She turned to leave, but just before she disappeared, she turned back around so that she was facing Ginny again.

"Oh, and even if you don't need me, I'll be back eventually. There's something Harry needs to know for when the time comes to face Voldemort."

Ginny nodded, and as she did so she blinked. When she opened her eyes again, Destiny was gone. Ginny rolled her eyes at this, and went to close the picture album that was still open in her lap. As she was about to pick up the next one in the pile though, she heard the sound of the front door opening.

"I'm home!" A voice hollered. "Where is everyone?"

Abandoning the pile of picture albums, Ginny jumped to her feet and ran out of the room.

"Harry!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around the boy before he could protest. "I missed you so much while you were at school."

"Can't…breathe…" Harry gasped.

Ginny let go as she spotted Dudley standing behind Harry, looking a bit nervous.

"Hello," Dudley said slowly, sticking out his hand, "I'm D-"

"Dudley!" Ginny finished, giving him a hug as well.

"Do I get a hug, too?" Sirius asked from the doorway, as he dragged Harry's trunk behind him.

"Nope," Ginny said easily, releasing Dudley. She turned so she was looking at the two boys at the same time. "Come with me to the kitchen, Moony was in there the last time I checked. He wanted to make dinner tonight."

As Ginny began walking towards the kitchen in the back of the house, Dudley looked at Harry with a worried expression on his face.

"Can this Moony guy even cook?" Dudley asked.

The rest of the week leading up to Harry's birthday passed by very quickly. As it turned out, Dudley fit in perfectly with life in Godric's Hollow. And in what seemed like the blink of an eye, it was the night before Harry's birthday.

"Do you know when Hermione and the Weasley's are getting here tomorrow?" Harry asked Ginny, while they were eating dinner.

Ginny shrugged. "Hermione has been at her aunt's house since yesterday, so she'll be here earlier. As for the Weasley's…I just hope they don't try to drive."

"Wizards have cars?" Dudley asked curiously, looking up.

"Only if you work in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, and have a not-so-secret obsession with trying to figure out how muggle stuff works," Sirius said. "Otherwise, no, not really. We travel by brooms and fireplaces."

"Fireplaces?" Dudley repeated.

"Stop confusing him, Sirius," Ginny said, giving him a glare worthy of her mother. She turned to Dudley. "The Floo Network connects all of the wizarding fireplaces, and when you use Floo powder, you can travel to any fireplace that is in the Network."

A look of understanding passed over Dudley's face.

"Brooms are better, though," Harry informed him. "I'll show you mine later."

"So, what do you have planned for tomorrow?" Sirius asked Ginny suddenly. "Anything important…Maybe a family dinner? Anything at all…"

"…We're getting school supplies from Diagon Alley tomorrow," Ginny said slowly. "And after that, we're celebrating Harry's birthday. Why do you want to know?"

"Well…" Sirius began. "You know my cousin Andi, right?"

Ginny nodded.

"You see, she kind of, maybe, sort of found out that Harry was going to be spending the summer with me, and she wants to meet him…"

"So you invited her over for dinner," Ginny finished for him.

"And Ted and Nymphadora, too," Sirius added. He turned to Harry. "Is that alright with you?"

Harry shrugged. "Sure. I bet I'm related to them, too, in some weird way."

"You and Andromeda are second cousins, just like you and Sirius," Remus said.

"Wait, you guys are second cousins?" Dudley interrupted, looking back and forth from Harry to Sirius.

"All pureblood wizarding families are inter-related," Ginny said. "Sirius and I are related through marriage on my dad's side, and we're fourth cousins through mum's side…or something like that, anyway."

"So, getting back to the point," Sirius began, looking back to Ginny, "It won't be any trouble that I invited the Tonks' over?"

For some strange reason that Harry couldn't comprehend, Ginny glanced at Remus before answering.

"Yes, it is quite alright," She said, a mysterious sort of smile on her face.

Suddenly, Remus stood up at his place. "Well, I should be going. I wanted to finish my book by tomorrow. Good night everyone."

Ginny sat in her seat silently, waiting until she heard Remus closing his bedroom door behind him, before she gave the three remaining people at the table a huge grin. Motioning them all closer, she leaned into the table.

"Alright, people, we need to have a little chat."

"What about?" Harry asked warily. Sometimes, his family could act a bit strange. Now was one of those times.

"Remus and Tonks," Ginny replied. "Nymphadora Tonks, to be exact."

Sirius looked at her suspiciously. "Why are we going to talk about my best friend and my baby cousin at the same time?"

"I was hoping you would ask that, Sirius," Ginny said. "You see, back in my time, I knew the most adorable little boy. Well, I say 'knew' but I really only ever saw the one picture of him, but I digress. More to the point, he was actually your godson, Harry." If possible, Ginny's grin got even wider here, "His name was Teddy Lupin."

"Teddy-_NO_!" Sirius gasped, his eyes lighting up with delight. "They _didn't_!"

"They did," Ginny nodded. "Of course, it took 'em a while. So, what if we maybe tried to get things done a bit quicker this time around?"

"Yeah," Sirius agreed quickly. "Oh, I've got the best code name! Plan GRL."

"What are we even talking about?" Harry asked, looking confused.

"And do we really want to know what 'GRL' means?" Dudley chimed in.

"Remus and Nymphadora were married," Ginny explained. "Teddy was their son."

"And GRL means 'Get Remus Laid'." Sirius informed them, as if it was obvious. "I've been wanting to use that one for years."

Ginny rolled her eyes at this.

"Back up a second, could you?" Harry said. "Does this plan have anything to do with any of those other plans you people keep coming up with?"

Sirius shook his head. "_Operation: Protect Harry from Dumbly_ only has Plans A, B, C, D, and SITB!"

"SITB," Harry repeated dubiously.

"No. SITB!" Sirius corrected.

"And what does that one stand for?" Dudley asked slowly, looking as if he really didn't want to know the answer.

"Sirius is the best!" Sirius answered happily. "It was created due to my sheer brilliancy. The plan is we kill Fudge and make me the Minister of Magic."

"I think it's pretty obvious why we are never going to use that plan," Ginny informed the two boys. "Now, back to what I was saying before. I think we should do everything in our power to get Remus and Tonks together, tomorrow. It took forever before because Remus thought he was too dangerous for Tonks, and he didn't want her to be shunned from society."

"Stupid werewolf," Sirius muttered.

"So it's our job to make sure he doesn't act so stupid this time around," Ginny said cheerfully, ignoring Sirius. "We'll get Hermione and the Weasley's to help as well."

Sirius chuckled evilly. "This is going to be so much fun…"

**Rewritten 5/28/12**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

"Oi! Wake up, you big lump."

Something unintelligible was muttered from underneath the pillow.

"Sorry. What was that? I didn't quite catch it."

"It's _too_ early."

"But the sun is already up. It's time to start _enjoying_ the day."

Sirius didn't even dignify that with a response, merely tightening his hold on the pillow covering his eyes. Harry glared at his godfather from his position in the doorway, then nodded at Dudley, who was standing beside Sirius's bed…with a bucket full of ice-cold water.

"AAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Good job," Harry told his cousin. "Now, _RUN_!"

"Die little boy!" Sirius said, looking like a wild man as he jumped out of his now-soaking wet bed with his soaking wet hair falling into his eyes, and more water streaming down his soaking wet face.

But amazingly, he still managed to see where the two boys were standing, and subsequently chased them out of his room, down the stairs, through the hall, and into the kitchen. Which was where they found Ginny, who was holding a pan of scrambled eggs, and Remus, who was sitting at the table reading the _Daily Prophet_.

"Freeze!" Ginny yelled.

Sirius, who was still wet, was unable to stop, however. And that was how Sirius ended up soaking wet on the kitchen floor, next to Ginny, covered in scrambled eggs on Harry's birthday.

_Ding-dong_

Sirius and Ginny's heads both jerked in the direction of the front door, and Remus lowered his paper, a slight frown on his face.

"Mum said they wouldn't be here until after nine," Ginny said, glancing at the clock. "And they're picking Hermione up from her aunt's house on the way here."

"Andi told me they'd be here around six, in time for dinner," Sirius said.

_Ding-dong_

"I'll get it," Remus offered, putting his paper down and standing up.

The kitchen's occupants were silent as they heard Remus walking down the hall and to the front door. There was a murmur of voices as Remus greeted whoever had rung the bell, and then they heard two pairs of feet making their way back to kitchen.

Before anyone could so much as move an inch, however, Remus re-entered the room, closely followed by none other than Albus Dumbledore. In the blink of an eye, Sirius was on his feet, quickly followed by Ginny, who, for some strange reason, grabbed Sirius's hand as soon as she was standing.

"Good Morning, Mr. Black," Dumbledore said pleasantly, his eyes twinkling as he took in the sight of Ginny and Sirius both covered in bits of scrambled egg. He turned to Harry. "And a very Happy Birthday to you, Mr. Potter."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry replied.

Now, Dumbledore looked at both Dudley and Ginny, and Harry and Sirius hastened to introduce them to him.

"This is my cousin Dudley Dursley, Professor," Harry said quickly, gesturing in Dudley's direction.

"Ah, yes," Dumbledore said slowly, "You sent me a letter about him a few weeks ago."

Harry nodded.

"And this is my girlfriend," Sirius announced, dropping Ginny's hand and wrapping his arm around her shoulders instead. "Virginia Collins. You met her over the Christmas Break, but I don't think the two of you were formally introduced."

Ginny smiled and held out her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Professor."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled a bit more, if possible, as he shook Ginny's hand. " Ginny, wasn't it?" Ginny nodded. "I don't suppose you went to Hogwarts, did you?"

"No." Now Ginny shook her head. "My mother was American. She wanted me to go to the Salem Witches Institute. But I grew up in London, so after I graduated I moved back here."

Dumbledore nodded. "Well, I was just in the neighborhood…visiting someone, and I thought I'd stop by and say hello."

"That was nice of you," Ginny said pleasantly.

"Well, I should probably be going," Dumbledore said after a moment of silence. "I'm sure you have something special planned for Harry's birthday, and I don't want to keep you."

"It was nice to see you again, Professor Dumbledore," Remus said.

"Likewise, Mr. Lupin," Dumbledore replied. "Although I believe I've told you before that you needn't call me 'Professor' anymore as I am no longer your teacher."

Remus shrugged. "Old habits die hard."

Dumbledore grinned. "It was nice to see all of you." He nodded at Ginny and Dudley, "And very nice to meet the two of you, as well. I'll see you at the beginning of term Harry, Mr. Black."

Sirius waited until Dumbledore had left the kitchen with Remus, before visibly shuddering.

"Padfoot," Harry began, sounding as if he was trying to reason with his godfather, "Professor Dumbledore must be at least fifty years older than you. How on earth does it make you feel old if he calls you 'Mr. Black?'"

"It just does," Sirius replied.

Before anyone could say anything else, however, Remus came back into the kitchen.

"It's a good thing Ginny already had her cover story ready," He said. "What are the chances that Dumbledore would come to visit someone in Godric's Hollow?"

Sirius opened his mouth to say something, but instead his eyes went wide with shock as if he had just remembered something else entirely.

"Sirius?" Ginny said slowly, looking worriedly at him as he stood there gaping at the door leading from the kitchen to the rest of the house—the door that Dumbledore had left through. "Are you alright?"

"No," Sirius said softly.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked quickly. "Are you sick? Do you feel like you're going to throw up? Do you want to sit down? Do-"

"Let him talk, Harry," Remus interrupted gently, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I just realized something," Sirius said in the same hushed tone.

"Yes?" Ginny prompted when he didn't continue.

"Dumbledore said he was here visiting someone," Sirius stated. "His mother and his sister are both buried here, in the Godric's Hollow Cemetery."

"With Aunt Lily and Uncle James?" Dudley questioned.

Sirius nodded. "All these years…we've been going there and Dumbledore could have seen us."

"Well, we'd have known if he did," Remus said, sounding more as if he was trying to reassure himself, rather than Sirius.

"What are you going to do about it?" Harry questioned. "I mean, now he knows I spend time with you. Is there really going to be a problem with us still living here?"

Sirius furrowed his brow, thinking hard. It was a few minutes before he spoke again.

"You're right, Harry," He said finally. "Dumbledore does know you're here now. But look what just happened. He dropped in, totally unexpected, we're lucky we were prepared with a cover story. And clearly something is wrong with the wards, but that could just be because they detect the presence of a muggle."

"Plan C," Ginny said suddenly.

"C?" Remus repeated. "Which one was that again?"

"The one I hate," Sirius muttered, and Remus' face lit up with understanding.

Harry shrugged when Dudley glanced at him questioningly.

"In Plan C, we live in 12 Grimmauld Place for a bit," Ginny explained to the two boys. "It's already protected from muggles and it's unplottable, and we might even be able to get away with putting a Fidelius Charm on it." She glanced at Sirius here. "Does _anyone_ know the full extent of the protective spells your dad put on the house?"

Now it was Sirius' turn to shrug. "I never bothered to ask him about that, or anything else for that matter. But he might have told some people in the family. So I think the Fidelius Charm is a good idea." He stared darkly off into space, "I, for one, don't want any unexpected visitors."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang again. Ginny's head shot around in the direction of the clock.

"That'll be mum," She said. "We'll finish talking about this later. Harry can go get the door. Dudley, you come sit down and have something to eat before we have to leave."

As everyone else went to sit down at the table, Harry walked towards the front door. He opened it just as Ron was about to ring the bell again.

"Hiya, Harry," Ron said. "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks," Harry replied, standing aside so that the Weasley family plus Hermione could troop past him and into the kitchen at the back of the house.

Once everyone was assembled, Ginny pulled out the pot of Floo Powder and started passing it around. When it got to Dudley he just looked at it then up at Harry questioningly.

"Oh, yeah," Harry began, realization dawning on him, "Dudley's never used Floo Powder before. He's a muggle, remember?"

"A muggle, you said?" Mr. Weasley asked, appearing at Harry's elbow, and looking Dudley up and down. "We'll have to have a chat later. I've been meaning to ask someone: what exactly is the function of a rubber duck?"

"I'm sure you'll have plenty of time for that later, Arthur," Ginny said, trying to suppress her grin, while Dudley looked at Mr. Weasley as if he was crazy. "Now, Dudley, you just take a bit of floor powder—just a pinch will do, throw it into the fireplace, and say where you want to go."

"But make sure you speak clearly," Remus added. "Or else you'll end up somewhere totally random."

"I can go with you, if you want," Harry offered. "Just to make sure you end up in the right place."

"That's fine," Dudley said with a shrug.

Harry reached out and grabbed some Floo Powder, then went to stand in front of the fireplace.

"Diagon Alley, here we come…"

* * *

"Well, that was an interesting day." Sirius said, as he placed some of the shopping bags on the kitchen floor.

"Hardly," Harry muttered darkly. "I can't believe that lunatic Lockhart guy is going to be our DADA teacher. What on earth was Dumbledore thinking?"

"I told you in June, Harry," Sirius said, "From year to year, it gets harder and harder for him to find someone to teach that class. The job is jinxed, remember?"

"I wish I went to your school," Dudley said. "Nothing interesting ever happens at Smeltings."

"Maybe you should join a sports' team," Ginny suggested. "You'd probably make a good wrestler."

"Wrestling…" Dudley repeated. "That actually does sound kind of promising."

"Hey, Sirius, what time did you say Ted and Andromeda would be here, again?" Ginny asked suddenly, changing the subject.

"Six," Sirius said promptly. Then, "Hey, what's for dinner?"

"I would presume we will be eating food, Padfoot," Remus replied. "Mostly likely something edible, as Ginny will be cooking it rather than you."

Sirius stuck his tongue out at Remus, who didn't see because his face was hidden behind a book as usual.

Ginny glanced at her watch. "It's almost a quarter to five right now, so if you all get out of here right now and don't bother me one bit, I should have dinner ready in about an hour."

"I think that was her not-so-subtle hint at telling us to scram," Sirius stage-whispered to Dudley and Harry.

"Gee, you think?" Ginny asked.

"Fine, fine, we're leaving," Harry said, grabbing Dudley's sleeve and pulling him towards the door. "See us? We're walking out of the kitchen now. Bye, Aunt Ginny, have fun making dinner!"

Ginny rolled her eyes and then stared pointedly at Sirius then nodded her head in Remus' direction. Sirius nodded in understanding, and then he, too, grabbed his friends' sleeve.

"Come with me, Moony, my fine friend," said Sirius, practically dragging the other man out of the kitchen. "Let me show you some pictures of my wonderful cousin and her beautiful family, so that you're prepared when they get here."

Again Ginny rolled her eyes, before rolling her sleeves up and turning to the stove, to begin preparing Harry's birthday dinner.

One hour and fifteen minutes later, promptly at six o'clock, the doorbell rang. Sirius rushed to the door and, upon practically yanking off its hinges, opened it to reveal his cousin, Andromeda, standing there with her husband, Ted, standing not too far behind her on the porch.

"Sirius!" She cried, throwing her arms around his neck. "I haven't seen you in ages. It really has been far too long."

"I've missed you, too, Andi," Sirius replied, returning her hug.

"Now," Andromeda began, pulling back, "Where is this charming boy I hear is staying with you this summer?" She looked sternly at her younger cousin. "I hope you aren't making that poor boy survive on pure sugar alone."

"Of course not," Sirius said, dismissing the accusation with a wave of his hand. "But where is the rest of your charming family? I thought you said dear Nymphadora was going to be here, too?"

"She is coming straight from Auror training," Ted informed Sirius. "Dora said she'd try and be here as soon as possible."

"Excellent," Sirius said, a creepy half-smile on his face. "I'd _hate_ to miss the opportunity to see my _dear_ cousin."

"I'm sure," Andromeda said dryly. "Now, where have you stashed Harry? I told you I wanted to meet him."

"Ahh, he's in the living room with Remus and Dudley. It's right this way." Sirius said, leading Andromeda and Ted through the house, and into said room.

"Hey, Harry," Sirius called, upon entering the living room. "Come over here. There's some people here I told you wanted to meet you."

Harry obediently stood up from his position on the floor, where he had been explaining the game of Exploding Snap to Dudley, and crossed the room so that he was standing in front of Sirius, Andromeda, and Ted.

"Hello," Harry said pleasantly, giving Andromeda a wide grin and sticking his hand out in front of him. "I'm Harry Potter."

Ignoring Harry's outstretched hand, Andromeda threw her arms around Harry and gave him a huge hug, which reminded him very much of Mrs. Weasley. After a moment, though, she pulled back, releasing Harry from her grip, a pleasant smile on her face.

"You're the spitting image of your father," Andromeda informed him. She turned to her husband. "Isn't he, Ted?"

"You knew my dad?"

"Of course we did, Harry. I was head girl his first year at Hogwarts. And I was forever putting him and his friends in detention. And speaking of his friends…" Andromeda unexpectedly rounded on Sirius, a glare on her face. "Why didn't Harry, here, know that I knew his father? I might not be as crazy as your mother, but Harry still needs to know who his family is."

Sirius narrowed his eyes at Harry, who smiled innocently back at his godfather.

"Oh, he knows you're related," Sirius replied shortly. "He's just trying make me look bad, to get back at me for trying to sleep in on his birthday."

Andromeda just clucked her tongue and shook her head.

"Stop trying to blame this poor boy, Sirius," Andromeda said, before turning back to Harry. "Now, why don't you introduce me to your cousin over there?"

"Sure," Harry said, before leading Andromeda and Ted over to where Remus and Dudley were still sitting; Remus in 'his' armchair reading a book surprisingly enough, and Dudley on the floor examining the Exploding Snap cards. Both looked up when Harry walked back over, however.

"I know you," Andromeda said suddenly, not giving Harry the chance to introduce Remus, or Dudley for that matter. "You were another of Sirius's little friends. Always causing trouble, weren't you?"

"Uncle Moony, here, doesn't like to admit that he was associated with dad and Padfoot at school," Harry informed Andromeda and Ted.

"And I don't blame him," Ted muttered. "Right little terrors your dad and godfather were." He stuck his hand out to Remus. "Ted Tonks, by the way. Nice to meet you."

Remus nodded, shaking Ted's hand. "Remus Lupin."

"And this is Dudley," Harry said, indicating his cousin. "Dudley Dursley."

"Dursley," Andromeda repeated. "You'd be on Lily's side then, wouldn't you?"

"How'd you know?" Dudley asked.

"There are no pureblood families with the name Dursley," Andromeda said with a shrug. Then she grinned. "Besides, you're Harry's cousin, and I'd know if someone in my family had married a muggle. I like to keep track of who else got the honor of being kicked off the family tree."

"Don't mind her," Ted said cutting his wife off. Dudley was looking at her rather strangely. "So, you're a muggle, are you? I'm muggleborn, like your aunt. Tell me, how do you like what you've seen of the wizarding world?"

Sirius, meanwhile, left the living room. He entered the kitchen, a small, pouty frown on his face, where he found Ginny sitting at the kitchen table, a blank expression on her face.

"Gin?" Sirius asked. "You alright?"

"Huh?" She asked, giving a start and turning around to see Sirius standing there. "Oh, Sirius, it's you. Did the Tonks' get here yet?"

Sirius nodded. "Andromeda and Ted are with Harry, Dudley, and Remus in the living room. Ted said Dora was coming from Auror training."

"That's good." Ginny said distractedly, turning away from Sirius.

"Are you OK?" Sirius repeated, looking at Ginny with some concern.

Ginny heaved a great sigh at this.

"I'll be fine…" She said slowly, she looked back up at Sirius. "It's just…today is Harry's twelfth birthday."

"And…" Sirius prompted.

"In my time, today was the first day I really met Harry," Ginny replied. "I was just thinking about that-among other things."

"Like what?"

Ginny bit her lip. "Sometimes I just worry that my coming here will change things too drastically. I mean, the whole reason I came back here was because I loved Harry so much I wanted to save him. Well, what if I've shaped Harry's whole life so much-this time around-that he never asks me out? What happens then?"

"Don't worry about that," Sirius said, taking a few steps forward and squatting beside Ginny's chair. "All that matters is the here and now. And the only thing we can do about the future is make sure we prepare Harry for it. Alright?"

Ginny took a deep breath and nodded, a smile appearing on her face.

"It was silly of me to even worry about it," Ginny muttered. "But I've been worrying about a lot of things lately."

"Of course it wasn't," Sirius said with a wave of his hand. "_I_ would have been worried if you had never worried about anything to do with your plan. That's just not normal."

Ginny laughed.

_Ding-dong_

"Yes," Sirius whispered, his eyes lighting up. He glanced at Ginny. "Cover your ears."

Ginny immediately obliged, knowing exactly what Sirius was going to do.

"MOONY! GET THE DOOR!"

"You could've just told Tonks to come in," Ginny said sarcastically. "I'm sure she would have heard you perfectly."

Sirius rolled his eyes.

"You're losing sight of our Grand Master Plan," He said in mock sadness. "The foundations for Plan GRL must be laid out tonight, no pun intended. And to do that only Moony can open the door."

"I know that," Ginny replied. "Now be quiet, I think I hear talking."

Both were silent, but the only thing they heard was the sound of the front door closing.

Sirius chuckled evilly.

"Now, let the fun begin…"

**Rewritten 5/28/12**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer—All descriptions of Grimmauld Place were taken from **_**Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix**_** and, as such, do not belong to me.**

**Chapter Sixteen**

Remus had been sitting in his armchair, peacefully reading his book when the doorbell rang the first time. He didn't even bother looking up, knowing Sirius would answer the door. And sure enough, moments later, Sirius opened the door and was enthusiastically greeted by his cousin.

After that, Remus didn't pay much attention until Harry brought Ted and Andromeda over to where he was sitting, with Dudley at his feet where he had previously been playing cards with Harry. Once he had introduced himself to the Tonks' however, he went back to reading his book. And when the doorbell rang again, he ignored it thinking Sirius would want to answer it again. It turned out to be one of those rare occasions where he was mistaken, however.

"MOONY! GET THE DOOR!" Came the shout from the kitchen.

"That'll probably be Dora," Ted said as Remus stood up.

Remus nodded as he walked out of the living room and towards the front door, remembering that Sirius's younger cousin was supposed to be coming to dinner, too.

Once he reached the door, he grabbed the handle, pulled the door open, and was met with a shock of bright purple hair. With a shake of his head to clear his vision, he focused on the face of the purple-haired person.

"Erm…hello," The girl said. "Is this Sirius Black's house?"

"Yes it is," Remus replied. "You must be his cousin, Nymphadora."

"Please, call me Tonks," The girl said with a grin as her hair changed from purple to pink. "I can't stand the name Nymphadora."

"Pleased to meet you then, Tonks," Remus stuck out his hand. "I'm Remus Lupin. Sirius and I went to school together."

Tonks nodded as she shook his hand and was just opening her mouth to reply when she was cut off by someone behind Remus speaking just then.

"Tonks!" Sirius cried, rushing from behind Remus to sweep his cousin up into a hug. "I haven't seen you in ages! How have you been? Ted said something about Auror training?"

"Let her breathe, Sirius," Ginny said calmly from behind him. "She just got here, you'll have all night to talk."

"I don't think we've been introduced yet," Tonks said once Sirius had released her, looking at Ginny curiously. "I'm Tonks."

"Ginny," Ginny replied with a smile.

Sirius threw his arm around Ginny's shoulders. "Ginny lives with us."

"With you and Harry?"

"And Remus," Ginny said.

Tonks glanced at Remus. "All of you live here…together?"

"Yep," Sirius said. Then, "Hey, did I mention that Ginny was my girlfriend?"

"No, you forgot to mention that little detail." Andromeda's voice said from behind them. "And I don't think we've been introduced yet, either."

Ginny turned around to face Andromeda, detaching herself from Sirius in the process.

"Hello, you must be Mrs. Tonks," Ginny said politely. "I'm Ginny."

"Oh, please, call me Andromeda," Andromeda said with a shake of her head. "Calling me 'Mrs. Tonks' just makes me feel so old."

"Wow, you and Sirius really are related," Harry's voice came from behind her. "Aunt Ginny, when's dinner?"

Ginny rose an eyebrow. "You're lucky it's your birthday. But, now that you ask, I was just about to start moving everyone into the dining room."

"I'll get Dudley and Ted," Harry said quickly, before running off.

"This way everyone," Sirius said, pointing the way towards the dining room as Ginny hurried off towards the kitchen.

Remus rolled his eyes as he, Tonks, and Andromeda followed Sirius and Tonks stifled a giggle.

"Always had to be the center of attention, that one," Andromeda muttered. "Some things will never change."

* * *

"Bye Andromeda!" Sirius called one last time as he stood in the doorway with Ginny.

The only response he got as a faint _pop_. Sirius turned to Ginny.

"Phase One was quite successful, wouldn't you agree?" He asked her conversationally as the two of them walked back into the house.

Ginny just nodded as she shut the door securely behind her.

"Did you see the two of them tonight?" Sirius continued undeterred. "They just wouldn't stop looking at each other all throughout dinner."

"That would probably be because they were sitting right across from each other," Ginny remarked dryly. "And, unless they didn't want to see the person sitting across from them at all, they would have spent the entire meal with their heads turned to the side."

"Don't mind her," Harry told Sirius as he and Dudley passed them on their way upstairs to go to bed. "She's just upset that we're moving. Aunt Ginny's really attached to this house, you know."

Ginny narrowed her eyes at him. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed right now?"

"That's where we're going," Harry replied, indicating the stairs he and Dudley were now walking up.

"Don't forget," Ginny called as they reached the top of the stairs. "We start packing tomorrow."

"Sounds like fun," Dudley muttered, before the two boys disappeared from view.

"Wonderful boys," Sirius said with a pleasant sigh. Then, "Hey, have you seen Moony?"

"Not since after dinner," Ginny said, "When Harry opened his presents."

"And Tonks had to leave right after that." Sirius said, a note of suspicion in his voice. "What if he followed her!"

Ginny just looked at him.

"This is Remus we're talking about, isn't it?" She asked him. "Remus Lupin?"

Sirius nodded.

"Remus wouldn't follow Tonks," Ginny said slowly, so Sirius would understand her. "That's something _you_ would do."

"Actually," Sirius began, adopting his 'Moony voice', as he liked to call it. "That is something _James_ would do. No, it's something he _did_ do. Poor Lilyflower, she never got a moment's peace when we were at Hogwarts, not even after she started going out with James."

"Sirius," Remus' voice said softly from behind Sirius and Ginny, "I'm sure Lily knows by now that you encouraged James to go after her from t he very beginning. Trying to be sympathetic for her now isn't going to work so well."

"There you are!" Sirius exclaimed, choosing to ignore what his friend had said as he turned around to face him. "We've been looking for you. We thought you ran away!"

"I'm sure," Remus said dryly. "Was there any particular reason you were looking for me?"

"We just want to let you know that we're going to start packing tomorrow," Ginny told him. "Next week Sirius and Harry are going to be bringing Dudley back home, the muggle way of course. Since Harry is going with, we think that is going to draw all the attention away from here, because you know Dumbledore is probably keeping a watch on it. And that will give you and I the chance to bring everything over to Grimmauld Place."

"Sounds like it's going to be a fun week," Remus said.

"I'm sure the next week will be even more fun," Ginny replied, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "We get to decontaminate our new house."

Sirius groaned. "Why does that sound like it really isn't going to be fun?"

"Because it isn't."

* * *

"Bye Aunt Petunia! Bye Dudley!" Harry called out one last time from the car window. "I'll see you at Christmas, and thanks for the tea!"

"That wasn't obvious at all," Sirius commented once Harry had pulled his head back in the window, and they had started driving away.

"What?" Harry said. "Aunt Ginny said Dumbledore probably had people watching me, or something. We're supposed to be making it look like I actually live here, remember?"

Sirius made a face. "You'd probably be better off living here than where we're going now."

"Why? What's so bad about your old house?" Harry asked. "You didn't seem too enthusiastic about it a week ago when Aunt Ginny first brought it up."

Here Sirius sighed. "My entire family was dark. When Voldemort came along, my parents thought he had the right idea trying to get rid of muggles and muggle-borns. They thought my brother Regulus was a right little hero joining up with the Death Eaters. That house just holds bad memories for me."

"I didn't know you had a brother," Harry said slowly. "How come I've never met him? Other than the fact that he was a Death Eater."

"He's dead," Sirius said shortly, his gaze fixed determinedly on the road in front of him. "It wasn't until he'd gotten in too far that he realized what being a Death Eater really meant. He tried to get out, but it's either life service or death with _Lord_ Voldemort. Regulus was killed on Voldemort's orders. I doubt he was ever important enough for Voldy to kill him personally."

"Oh," was all Harry could think of to say.

Sirius just nodded, and Harry knew the subject was closed. The two of them spent the rest of the drive to London in silence. It wasn't until Sirius finally stopped the car and turned the engine off that either of them spoke again.

"Here we are," Sirius said, opening his door and getting out of the car. "Home sweet home."

Harry, too, opened his door and got out to get a better look around him. The sight that met his eyes was not a very pleasant one. The fronts of the surrounding houses were not welcoming; some of them had broken windows, glimmering dully in the light from the street-lamps, paint was peeling from many of the doors, and heaps of rubbish lay outside several sets of front steps. In fact, the only house that didn't look on the verge of collapse was the one they were standing in front of. But this house wasn't much better-looking than the rest.

Instead of broken windows and piles of rubbish, this house had a rather foreboding look. Like the houses surrounding it, it was covered in a layer of grime and barely discernible underneath all of that was a sign next to the front door. Or rather, a number: 12.

"That's where we're going to live?" Harry asked uneasily.

"Yep," Sirius said.

"It doesn't look very safe," Harry commented.

"It's already hidden from the muggle eye and it's unplottable, so wizards can't find it on a map," Sirius replied. "All we have left to do is put the Fidelius on it so the only people who can see are the ones we want to see it. Come on," He started walking towards the house, "Remus and Ginny are expecting us."

As they approached the battered front door, Harry noticed the silver knocker in the form of a twisted serpent. But there was no keyhole or even a letterbox. He looked questioningly at his godfather at this point to see Sirius pulling out his wand. He tapped the door once and Harry heard many loud, metallic clicks and what sounded like the clatter of a chain. The door creaked open.

"Go on in," Sirius said with a jerk of his head. "Just don't touch anything, and be as quiet as possible. You don't want to wake anything up."

So with a confused expression accompanied by a small shrug, Harry stepped across the threshold and into his new home. Almost immediately, his nostrils caught the scent of damp, dust, and a sweetish, rotting smell. The whole place had the feeling of a derelict building.

After locking the door behind him, Sirius quickly led Harry down the hall past the glimmering, cobwebby chandelier which cast a dim light over the age-blackened portraits hanging on the peeling wallpaper. As they walked along the threadbare carpet, Harry heard something scrambling behind the baseboard. Both the chandelier and the candelabra and a rickety table nearby where in the shape of serpents.

Several times Harry opened his mouth to say something, but each time Sirius motioned for him to be quiet. Sirius continued to lead him down the hallway until they reached a door at the far end. He opened it and gestured for Harry to go in. Harry made his way down a flight of narrow stone steps and then through another door at the bottom which, when opened, revealed the basement kitchen. It was a room brightly lit, mainly from the welcoming fire at its other end and, Harry was pleased to see, sitting at the spacious table in the middle of the cavernous room were Remus and Ginny.

"Harry!" Ginny said happily, looking around at the sound of his entrance.

"Hey, Aunt Ginny. Hi, Remus," Harry said, walking across the room and joining the two of them at the table. "So, er…nice…place we're living in now."

"Yes, isn't it?" Ginny replied. "You should have seen how it looked the first time I saw it. Then, Kreacher had had even more time to let the house fall into disrepair."

"Who's Kreacher?" Harry asked.

"He's an annoying little-"

"He's the house elf here," Ginny cut in, interrupting Sirius. "Which reminds me," She rounded on Sirius now, "I know you didn't like living here, I really do. And I know you don't want to be back here when you could be free anywhere else in the world."

"You could say that again," Sirius muttered, sitting down next to Remus.

"But I'm sure you remember what I told you when we first met, don't you?" Ginny questioned. "About you dying?"

"What about it?" Sirius asked.

"If it wasn't for Kreacher, that might never have happened," Ginny said. "So we're going to work hard to get that to not happen this time around. Alright?"

"Fine," Sirius said with a sigh. "What do we have to do?"

Ginny smiled pleasantly, and reached into the pocket of her robes. "You can start by giving him this," She held a locket out to him, "And tell him…tell him that Regulus would have wanted him to have it."

Sirius was silent for a long moment, sitting there staring at the locket dangling from Ginny's outstretched hand. Finally he looked back up at Ginny, and there was a strange look in his eyes that Harry couldn't quite name.

"W-What do you mean?" He asked shakily. "Why would Regulus want Kreacher to have an old locket?"

Ginny sighed and set the locket down on the table.

"This is going to take some explaining before you do it, isn't it?" She asked.

"I'll say," Remus muttered as Sirius nodded.

"After you ran away, Sirius, Regulus joined up with the Death Eaters, you know that." Ginny said. "And one day, after he'd been with them for at least a year, he came home with an assignment for Kreacher. Voldemort needed a house elf, and Regulus had volunteered Kreacher for the job. Voldemort took Kreacher to the cave; the one I told you about years ago: where Dumbledore took Harry to find a Horcrux, in my time," She was speaking to Remus and Sirius there, because Harry knew he'd remember going somewhere with his Headmaster to find a Horcrux, whatever that was. "Voldemort made Kreacher drink the potion, to test it. Then he put his Horcrux in the basin and filled it back up with more potion." Her expression hardened here, "He got back into the boat then, and left Kreacher on the island to die.

"But Regulus had given Kreacher his orders. The elf was to come home after helping Voldemort, so Kreacher was able to escape the inferi, come home to Regulus. But when Kreacher told Regulus what he'd helped Voldemort do, Regulus got worried; he'd been doubting things for a while, and it didn't take much for him to lose faith in Voldemort. A while later, he made Kreacher take him to the cave. Regulus drank the potion and had Kreacher put this fake locket," She gestured to the locket before her on the table, "In its place. Kreacher was to destroy the real Horcrux, but he couldn't manage it. It takes some serious dark magic to destroy one of those things. Like, basilisk venom for example."

"If the…Horcrux wasn't destroyed, then where is it?" Harry asked, ignoring the comment about basilisk venom, knowing that his aunt was trying to tell him something, but not understanding what it was.

"It's here," Ginny answered shortly. "In this house; in the upstairs drawing room."

"We'll worry about that later," Sirius said, slowly reaching his hand out towards the locket. "I should go find Kreacher right now. I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I feel kind of bad for him. He loved Regulus, and to have to see him die…As for Regulus," He paused, his fist clenched tightly around the locket, "Who knew he could switch sides like that and go against Voldemort and everything he'd been taught and believed in?"

And without another word, Sirius stood up and walked determinedly out of the kitchen.

"I don't think we'll be seeing him again until tomorrow at the earliest," Remus said, looking at Harry and Ginny. "As much as he tried to deny it, he cared about his brother. That changed a bit when Regulus joined up with the Death Eaters, but now that Sirius knows the truth about his death…well, it's just going to take a bit of time for him to get used to the idea of his brother dying for a noble cause like he did." Now, his gaze focused on Ginny, "Why didn't you tell him before about his brother? Surely you've known the truth for the past eleven years."

"I sort of forgot about it," Ginny said a bit sheepishly. "I didn't remember about his brother and the Horcrux until we decided to come here, and then I couldn't find the time to tell Sirius about it. But now you all know."

"What is a Horcrux?" Harry finally asked. "You keep mentioning them."

"Now isn't the time to talk about those," Ginny said after a moment's hesitation. "Besides, they have to do with all of those things I have yet to tell you, Ron, and Hermione…which reminds me, Ron sent you a letter. It's upstairs in your room. I'll show you where that is, if you'd like?"

Harry nodded eagerly, and he and Ginny stood up. She led him back out of the kitchen, up the narrow stairway, and into the front hall again. She stopped in front of a staircase leading to the upper floors.

"It's two floors up, first door on your right," Ginny told him in a whisper, pointing up the stairs. "If you need anything I'll be down in the kitchen. Dinner will be ready in an hour."

Harry nodded and began walking up the steps. A few minutes later, he was standing in front of a door identical to all of the others he had seen in this house so far; dark and battered, with paint peeling off.

"Aunt Ginny wasn't kidding when she said this place could use some fixing up." Harry muttered, before reaching for the doorknob, twisting it, and pushing the door open. The sight that met his eyes, however, made him stop dead in the doorway.

"Dobby?" Harry whispered, looking shocked. For there, jumping up and down on his bed, was none other than Dobby the house elf.

"Harry Potter, sir," The elf squeaked when Harry spoke. "I is not knowing you was there, sir."

"What are you doing here, Dobby?" Harry asked, quickly shutting the door as he spoke, before crossing the room so that he was standing beside the bed and Dobby.

"I is needing to talk to you, Harry Potter, sir," Dobby replied. "You is promising Dobby that you is not going back to Hogwarts this year."

"Yeah…" Harry said slowly. "I did say that, didn't I?"

"Then why is Dobby knowing that Harry Potter bought new things for school?" Dobby demanded. "You is promising Dobby that you is not going back."

"I know, Dobby," Harry said quickly, thinking quickly to come up with an excuse to give Dobby. "But I went shopping…so everyone else would think I was going back," He finished with a small nod. "You told me things weren't going to be safe at Hogwarts, so I talked with my aunt and my godfather, and they thought it would be best if it appeared that I was going back to school. That way, anyone who might have wanted to do something to me at school would be fooled."

Dobby was silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Harry Potter's aunt and godfather is very wise wizards," Dobby told Harry. "They is being smart to fool the dark wizards."

Dobby clapped both small hands to his mouth.

"Dobby isn't supposed to be saying that," The elf said from behind the hands that covered his mouth. "Dobby is saying too much. Oh, what would his masters say if they knew? Dobby is having to leave now, before his masters notice he is gone. Good-bye, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby is hoping you is staying safe here."

And before Harry could say another word, Dobby had disappeared with a loud _crack_. Harry just stared at the place where the elf had been moments before. What was that all about?

**Rewritten 5/29/12**


	17. Chapter 17

**disclaimer-It all belongs to Jo. Hmm...I don't suppose you think she'd ever consider selling, do you?**

**Chapter Seventeen**

_November 5, 1992_

_Dear Aunt Ginny, _

_I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to write you a letter. But I'm sure you're busy enough as it is, what with 'decontaminating' our new house, as Padfoot put it so nicely. Really, you should get him to come home some time to help out with all that. He's just sitting here in his office doing nothing while you and Moony are working so hard to make our home livable._

_Anyway, I wanted to ask you about a few things you might have neglected to mention over the summer. When you were in your first year of Hogwarts, did someone attack Filch's cat on Halloween? If so, Hermione would like for me to inform you (In those words exactly) that she would appreciate it if you would tell us what else major is going to happen this year. Again, that was Hermione speaking, not me…although, Ron and I would appreciate knowing, too. Please._

_Again, I hope you and Moony are winning the war the two of you must be waging on that house. And don't forget to make Padfoot come home and get his hands dirty._

_Hope you write back soon,_

_Harry_

* * *

_November 24, 1992_

_Aunt Ginny,_

_Are you mad at me for taking so long to write to you before? Because, honestly, I was just sidetracked with school stuff, especially with Quidditch; Oliver was being insane about practice. Of course, he's being even more insane now._

_Anyway, we had our first match against Slytherin last Saturday and one of the bludgers had been tampered with. It kept following me around, trying to attack me; it was much more violent than your average bludger. In the end, it managed to get me (It broke my arm) but I was able to catch the snitch almost immediately afterwards. Unfortunately, the first person to reach me after the game ended was Gilderoy Lockhart, the idiot. He tried to fix my arm but ended up removing all of the bones in that arm. Since I know you care about me very much, even though you won't answer my letters, you should be very pleased to know that Padfoot was able to_ _very, very surreptitiously jinx Lockhart. In fact, I don't think anyone at all noticed him sprouting tentacles in the middle of dinner Saturday night. Hey, I know I didn't. Of course, that might be because I was in the Hospital Wing, re-growing all the bones in my arm!_

_Moving on, I thought you'd like to know about my nighttime visitor Saturday night. Apparently, Dobby got word that I did come back to Hogwarts, even though I promised him I wouldn't. He was the one who switched the bludgers so that, in his words, 'Harry Potter would be hurt enough to be sent home.' Needless to say, I think I've managed to get the message across to him that I won't be leaving, no matter how dangerous he seems to think things are going to get._

_But, Aunt Ginny, this is where I really need a reply, and fast. Dobby left the Hospital Wing because he heard people coming. It was Dumbledore and McGonagall, and they were carrying an unconscious Colin Creevey (He's a first year Gryffindor) between them. He looked as if he'd been turned to stone. Madame Pomfrey said he'd been petrified, like Mrs. Norris was._

_Ginny, what's going on here? You must know something about all of this. These attacks can't be happening just because you came back and gave me a better childhood, could they? I really hope you reply to this letter, because I'm really starting to get worried. We all are._

_Please reply,_

_Harry_

* * *

_December 4, 1992_

_Aunt Ginny!_

_Don't you dare tell me you haven't been getting my letters. I talked to Padfoot the other day and he said you've been writing to him regularly, and that you've been receiving his letters, too. If you tell me Dobby's stealing all of my mail to you, I won't believe you._

_Hermione, Ron, and I are starting to get scared, Aunt Ginny. There were two more attacks, on Justin Finch-Fletchley (he's a second-year Hufflepuff) and on Nearly Headless Nick. I'm sure you know Nick, he's been around for the past five hundred years (we went to his death-day party on Halloween). Aunt Ginny, what could possibly harm a ghost?_

_We have no idea what we're up against, and could really use some help._

_Harry_

* * *

_December 11, 1992_

_Aunt Ginny,_

_Since you haven't replied to any of my letters at all this year, I've decided to go on strike against this family. I've already owled Dudley and Aunt Petunia and apologized to them, because I've decided to stay at Hogwarts this year, with Ron and Hermione._

_I know going home, to you, would be the best way for me to get some answers out of you, but I'm sure you could easily find a way to avoid me there. Besides, we think we might have a lead on who, exactly, is petrifying these people/ghosts/cats and we want to follow up on it. Maybe if I'm in a good mood I'll write and tell you how things turn out._

_Sincerely,_

_The person you seem to have forgotten exists-Harry J. Potter._

* * *

_December 26, 1992_

_To my dear aunt:_

_HA! I knew you knew that I was still alive! But seriously, Aunt Ginny, you'll spend money on a Christmas present for me, but you won't take a little time out of your oh so busy cleaning schedule to write me a little note? It's annoying enough that you won't write me any letters when I am clearly in a predicament that I could use some help getting out of. But are you honestly so determined to maintain your written silence that you won't even write 'Happy Christmas' on my present? I only knew it was from you because _Moony_ wrote _your_ name on it._

_(Just so you know, I'm sighing right now.) Since I'm already wasting this parchment, writing a letter I know I won't receive a reply to, I might as well just tell you about how our plan went yesterday._

_For the past month or so, the three of us—and when I say 'the three of us' I mostly mean Hermione—have been brewing a Polyjuice Potion. Since I'm sure you know what that is, I'll spare you and my aching hand the details. Anyway, I know I didn't write this back in my first letter (which you didn't reply to), but there was something written on the wall behind Mrs. Norris about an heir. From the incredibly in-depth research Hermione has conducted, we've concluded that this 'heir' is in fact Salazar Slytherin's heir. With all of the clues pointing to him, we figured that heir was Draco Malfoy._

_Ron and I used the Polyjuice Potion and disguised ourselves as two Slytherins so we could get in to their common room to talk to Malfoy. For reasons I won't get in to, because you haven't really been showing much interest in my life this year, Hermione wasn't able to join us. Anyway, once we got there and talked to him for a bit, we found out that we were wrong and Malfoy really isn't the Heir to Slytherin, no matter what he or anyone else might say. However, we did learn that the same thing that is happening now happened fifty years ago too. And that somebody died that time, but they caught the person responsible and he or she was expelled. We just don't know who that person was._

_So, here we are, back at square one. Gee, it would be nice if we had some help at this point. (Hint hint, nudge nudge)_

_(Please note that I am sighing again here.) Oh well, maybe I'll have better luck next year. Don't worry, I'm already coming up with new ways to get you to answer me._

_Harry Potter (In case you've forgotten who I am.)_

_P.S.—Oh and I almost forgot: during our trip to the Slytherin Common Room, Ron and I got into a spot of trouble getting out of there. It is entirely possible that Ron tripped and landed on his wand, and that it is now broken. He hasn't told his mum yet, so don't mention it to Molly, as I'm sure you're still maintaining contact with her. Until he builds up the courage to convince her to buy him a new wand, he's attempted to repair it with Spellotape, with questionable results. His wand work for the rest of the year is bound to be interesting, to say the very least._

* * *

_January 30, 1993_

_Dear Aunt Ginny (Hmm, when have I written that before?), _

_If I get attacked by whatever it is that's roaming the halls of school, would you care? (Padfoot would like you to know that I am following his advice for Moony and am currently holding up a sign reading 'Sarcasm')_

_Things with the whole 'Heir of Slytherin' business have cooled down a bit, so I've decided to let you off the hook…for now. Since you are obviously uninterested in helping out someone in_ _dire need of assistance, I don't want to bother you anymore. NOT! (Again, I'm holding up that sign, because I am_ _getting pretty tired of not getting any mail from you.)_

_So, just to let you know, two can play the game of…mail…silence (I think I'll work on the name of that one in the coming months). Until something new happens with the heir stuff, I won't even remotely be attempting to contact you in any way whatsoever._

_So, so long, Aunt Ginny. We (Or should I say I) will talk again when Hogwarts loses some more of it's population._

_Harry Potter, the Boy-Who's-Aunt-Refused-To-Send-Him-Mail_

* * *

_April 2, 1993_

_Dear Ginevra (In case you've forgotten who _you_ are.),_

_I am only breaking my mail silence because I felt that I had something of some sort of importance to tell you._

_After my last letter to you, an unusual diary came into my possession. It belonged to one T. M. Riddle about fifty years ago. I carried the blank diary around for a while trying to crack it's secret before I was finally able to do just that. On the night of February 14th, I was able to gain a certain…glimpse of the past, recorded in that diary. And according to what I saw, Hagrid was the one responsible for the attacks fifty years ago, and he was expelled for it. Hagrid was Slytherin's heir. Is this true? I know Hagrid, and while he does have a certain fondness for exactly the kind of creature that would probably kill someone, I have my doubts that he would knowingly set it loose on his fellow innocent and unsuspecting students. (Please note that I use the term 'innocent' to describe Hagrid in a very general sense. Hagrid with dangerous creatures being innocent is like saying the twins were ever innocent.)_

_Unfortunately, just very recently, someone ransacked my things and stole the diary from me, so I haven't been able to get any more information out of it._

_Although I know my asking will surmount to nothing whatsoever, I still want to ask you to write me back if you know anything about what's going on at Hogwarts right now._

_Please reply (I'm on my knees begging here!),_

_Harry, who will need knee replacements by the time you get around to writing me back…if ever._

* * *

_April 4, 1993_

_Aunt Ginny,_

_I'm really scared Aunt Ginny. Yesterday morning, Hermione ran out of the Great Hall because she'd had a sudden thought about what could be attacking students. The next time I saw her, she was lying in the Hospital Wing._

_It got Hermione._

_The monster is back and the Hospital Wing has two new residents; Penelope Clearwater, a Ravenclaw prefect, is the other one. Why won't you reply to my letters, Aunt Ginny? I know you care!_

_Please, tell me what to do. Ron and I are lost without Hermione. We can't even go visit her because they won't let anyone into the Hospital Wing, for fear whoever it is who is petrifying the students decides to come back to finish the job._

_Please respond to my letter, Aunt Ginny, I have no idea what to do next._

_Harry_

* * *

_April 10, 1993_

_Aunt Ginny,_

_Hagrid and Dumbledore are gone._

_The ministry arrested Hagrid because they think he's the one responsible for the attacks again this time, even though I just know he's innocent._

_As for Dumbledore, Lucius Malfoy came with a decree from the board of Governors, suspending Dumbledore from Hogwarts. I might not be Dumbledore's number one fan, but I'm not stupid enough to think things are going to be better off at Hogwarts with him gone. What the hell is wrong with those governors?_

_Any words of encouragement that you'd actually care to share with me at this point?_

…_I didn't think so._

_Harry_

* * *

_June 4, 1993_

_Dear Aunt Ginny,_

_The letter I am writing right now is what I hope will not become the last letter I ever write to anyone._

_Today on our way to class, Ron and I were able to get away from a teacher. We were trying to get to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom because we figured out that she was the girl killed fifty years ago. Unfortunately (or so we thought at the time), McGonagall found us before we got there. But we made up a story about going to see Hermione in the Hospital Wing because we missed her, even if she was going to be receiving the Mandrake Drought tonight. McGonagall let us off, thankfully, but that meant we really had to go see Hermione._

_While there, we found a piece of paper crumbled in her hand. It was a page she tore out of a library book the morning she was petrified. (Yes, we _are_ talking about Hermione vandalizing school property.) The page explained everything about the monster in the Chamber of Secrets. Realizing what this information could do for everyone, Ron and I proceeded to the Staff Room immediately. When we got there, however, an announcement was made that all students had to go to their dormitories and that all the teachers were to report to the Staff Room. We hid in the cloak wardrobe, because we wanted to know what all the fuss was about before we told them what we knew._

_Ginny Weasley was taken by the monster into the Chamber._

_Aunt Ginny, this is _you_ we're talking about. And, after this year's events, I'm willing to bet that this happened before, in your time. So you must know something about what's going on. Seriously, Aunt Ginny, this is a matter of life and death here…for _**you**_.__I'm not asking for a reply this time because I don't need one. Ron and I have made up our minds. Gilderoy Lockhart, that fool of a professor, is going to go down into the Chamber to try and save you. Ron and I don't think he has a clue about what he's doing, so we've decided to give him some help. We'll probably end up going down with him. This_ is_ Ron's sister we're talking about._

_I'm writing this letter to you because I want you, of all people, to know the truth of things, in case anything happens to me and we don't make it back out of the Chamber. But hey, if this really did happen in your time, things must have turned out positively. You're still alive, and you've talked about me and Ron when we were older-ish._

_So, basically, things are looking good. The only person you haven't mentioned past my second year is Lockhart, and let's face it, I'm not going to be too upset if he doesn't make it._

_I love you Aunt Ginny._

_Harry_

* * *

Harry was making his way out of the Great Hall with Ron and Hermione, all of them yawning profusely, when an arm reached out and grabbed him.

"Wassamatter?" Harry asked sleepily, looking up at his godfather.

"There's someone in my office who wants to speak with you," Sirius replied.

"Who?" Harry asked, a bit warily. He trusted his godfather, but he really wasn't in the mood for any more interviews about what had happened down in the chamber that night.

"Take a wild guess," Sirius said. "And you know that she's been getting all of your mail this year, even if she hasn't replied to any of it."

"Oh…" Harry said softly, biting his lip and looking a bit worried. "Aunt Ginny got my last letter, did she?"

"I'm sure she did," Sirius said. "Although she's been waiting in my office all day." He glanced at Ron and Hermione, "You two get to bed, you both look as if you could use some sleep." He turned back to Harry, "As for you, you're coming with me."

Sirius led Harry up the Marble Staircase and then up to his fifth-floor office. He stopped in front of the door and gestured for Harry to open it.

"She only wanted to talk to you. I've been talking to her all day," He said. "I'll just be doing some rounds, making sure students are getting to bed."

Harry just nodded, looking nervously at the door.

"Don't worry, I'm sure nothing bad is going to happen. Ginny claims to at least like you…a bit," Sirius said, before turning and walking away.

With a grim expression on his face, Harry opened the door and stepped inside Sirius's office, closing the door behind him. Almost immediately, he was attacked by a blur of red.

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed, throwing her arms around the boy. "You have no idea how worried I've been about you all day. Of course, I knew you'd be all right in the end, but that didn't stop me from worrying. I still have nightmares about this year, and I can only imagine how terrible it must have been for you tonight in the chamber, and-"

"Can't…Breathe…" Harry gasped.

"Oops," Ginny said sheepishly, releasing Harry and taking a step back.

"Wait a minute…" Harry said slowly, "You knew everything would be alright in the end?"

"Oops again," Ginny said. "I can see I've got some explaining to do."

"I'll say," Harry muttered.

Ginny walked over to the couch Sirius had against one wall. "Come sit here," She patted the seat next to her, and Harry sat down obligingly.

"First of all, I want to apologize for not answering a single one of your letters this past year," Ginny said. "You have no idea how many times I wanted to pick up my quill and tell you everything, not to mention just to chat about how things were going. I can only imagine how…abandoned you must have felt when you learned that I was getting your letters and just not replying."

"I did feel rather abandoned," Harry admitted.

"You have to understand where I was coming from, though," Ginny began, "I know that I told you I would prepare you for everything, but I want you to realize that I can't be there to tell you how to do everything. The time will come when I won't be able to debrief you on how exactly things should go. I did let Sirius in on what was going to happen, so he was here as backup. Obviously you, Ron, and Hermione were more than capable of handling things on your own, though. So, can you forgive me for not writing to you this year?"

"I suppose I can," Harry said slowly. "As long as you don't get mad or anything about that last letter I sent you last night."

"It's a deal," Ginny replied with a grin. "Besides, that letter showed me just how smart you, and Ron, really are. Although," She narrowed her eyes, "That bit about Lockhart not coming out-"

"I didn't mean it, Aunt Ginny!" Harry said quickly. "Honestly, I didn't. I swear! And it's not as if he died. Really, it's his own fault that his memory got wiped. He's a teacher; he should have figured out on his own that something was wrong with Ron's wand when all of his spellwork suddenly kept going wrong after Christmas."

But Ginny was still smiling. "It's alright. I could never stand that guy, anyway. Just wait till Christmas of your fifth year, though…"

Harry groaned. "You mean I have to see Lockhart again?"

"Harry," Ginny began consolingly, "Think positively: at least he won't remember you then."

**Rewritten 6/4/12**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

_**PETER PETTIGREW ESCAPES FROM AZKABAN PRISON**_

_Twelve years ago, Sirius Black was arrested and charged with conspiring with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to kill James and Lily Potter, and their then-young son, Harry. However, shortly after his arrest, new evidence was brought forth which proved Sirius Black was innocent. Peter Pettigrew was then rightfully arrested and charged with the murders of the Potters. Following his trial, Pettigrew was given a life sentence in Azkaban prison._

_Yesterday morning, however, when guards went to check on Pettigrew, they found his cell empty. Upon further investigation it was revealed that Pettigrew did not force his way out of his cell. When questioned, Bellatrix Lestrange (one of four former Death Eaters responsible for the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom), the only occupant of a cell near Pettigrew's, would not cooperate with Ministry Officials when asked if she had seen or heard anything._

_Members of the Magical Community are warned that Pettigrew is very dangerous, and could potentially have some kind of weapon (magical or muggle) on him._

_When asked about the situation with Pettigrew, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge had this to say, "We at the Ministry are doing everything possible to recapture Pettigrew. All we ask is that the magical community remains calm."_

_The Minister has also alerted the Muggle Prime Minister of Pettigrew's escape. While members of the International Confederation of Wizards criticized Fudge for this, the Minister has defended himself with the reminder that Pettigrew is a madman: twelve years ago he murdered twelve people with a single curse._

"And none of us ever knew he had it in him," Sirius said in disgust, throwing the morning paper onto the kitchen table.

It had been a few weeks since the end of Harry's second year. In fact, his birthday was coming up in just a few days and everyone in his little family was getting in the mood to celebrate. That good mood, however, had been severely dampened with this morning's paper. They were all sitting in the basement kitchen of Grimmauld Place currently, having just read the morning _Prophet_ and were now discussing the headline. Peter Pettigrew, someone none of them had seen for more than a decade and wished to never see again, had somehow escaped from prison and, for the first time, Ginny had absolutely no idea how this was going to turn out.

"But that just brings us to another question," Remus said slowly from his place across from Sirius. "How did Peter get out of Azkaban? He was a high security prisoner. No matter how much we all underestimated him in the past, we _do_ know that Peter just doesn't have the brains to pull off an escape like that."

"I have a better question," Sirius said. "Who _would_ have the brains to do that?"

"You," Ginny stated.

"What?"

"You," Ginny repeated a bit absentmindedly. "I've told you this before, you know. Where I grew up, you were the criminal and Peter was a martyr. The summer before Harry's third year, you escaped." She frowned slightly. "You knew you were innocent, and since that wasn't a happy thought the dementors couldn't suck it out of you. So, when you saw a picture of Peter in the newspaper, you saw it with the full knowledge that he was the one responsible for you being there."

"Why was a picture of Peter in the newspaper?" Remus asked.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" Ginny asked, a faraway look in her eyes.

"It was after Lily and James's funeral," He said softly and Ginny nodded. "You brought a cage with Peter in it and I brought that to the Ministry and turned Peter in. And they let Sirius go."

"When I initially came here, to my past, it was the morning after Halloween in 1981 and I ended up at the Burrow. And I gave mum a message: if Percy were to ever find a rat and want to keep it as a pet, she had to tell me immediately," Ginny paused. "Within a few weeks, she sent me a letter, and when I went to the Burrow to…investigate, the rat Percy was playing with was Peter. That's how I found him to give to you, Remus. Well, in my time that obviously never happened. Peter spent twelve years as a rat—the pet of Percy and then Ron. Do you remember that picture of the Weasley's that was in the Prophet last week?"

Remus nodded.

"If things had stayed the same, Peter would have been in it as a rat," Ginny said. "That was the picture Sirius saw. He saw Peter in it, and realized that he'd been wasting away in prison for twelve years for absolutely no reason."

"I hate Peter," Sirius said darkly.

"And now he's broken out," Remus concluded. "I just hope that Fudge takes this seriously."

"I'm sure he will," Ginny said. "As long as he does what he did when Sirius escaped…I suppose things will be fine. No matter how much things have changed, Fudge will want people to see him taking some positive action right now, to prove that he's worthy of being Minister."

"This is where Plan SITB! would have been beneficial," Sirius murmured more to himself than anyone else. "If we had gone with that plan and made me Minister of Magic, Peter wouldn't have had any chance of escape…ever."

"Yes…and I suppose the Malfoys would also be broke by now, having spent all of their gold trying to bribe you to do things for them," Remus replied.

"Well, _duh_," Sirius said as if that were obvious. "I've always got some sort of plan, in here," He tapped his forefinger against his temple. "Always."

Remus shuddered. "Yes, I've been the victim of those plans quite often."

"'Course you have, Moony," Sirius replied cheerfully, all thoughts of Peter momentarily forgotten. "What kind of friend would you be if you didn't let me use you as my test subject?"

"I would be your _sane_ friend," Remus muttered.

"But you are the sane one…" Sirius said, looking confused.

"We'll have to get Harry," Ginny said suddenly. "He's supposed to stay at the Dursley's until his birthday, but with Peter's breakout I think it would be best to bring him home early. Petunia will understand and…" She paused, "Vernon's sister is going to come over for a short visit starting on Harry's birthday."

"Is that a bad thing?" Remus asked.

Ginny bit her lip. "I'm not sure. You have to understand, in my time Harry grew up knowing Marge, and she hated him. She probably still will, to tell you the truth. Anyway, Marge was always saying things to get Harry all worked up so he would lose his temper and then he would get in trouble, which was what she was aiming for. When Marge stayed with the Dursley's the summer Harry turned thirteen, she said something bad about Lily and James…and Harry lost his temper a bit."

"What did she say?" Sirius asked, a glint in his eyes saying he fully approved of whatever actions his godson might have taken against the woman.

"That's not important," Ginny said with a knowing wave of her hand. "What _is_ important is that Harry used accidental magic and sort of, kind of…maybe…made Marge…not blow up, exactly. But if Marge were a balloon, than it could definitely be called blowing her up."

"I love my godson," Sirius said with a shake of his head and a grin. "He makes me so proud sometimes…you know, when he isn't doing stuff that makes Moony proud."

"I agree, Ginny," Remus said, speaking to the redhead but rolling his eyes at Sirius' comment, "We need to pick Harry up as soon as is feasible. There's no telling what Peter is going to do now that he's free. And we don't want Harry to get in trouble with the Ministry for using magic."

Ginny nodded, standing up in the process. She picked up all of their breakfast dishes and brought them over to the kitchen sink, talking all the while as she did so. "When Harry used the accidental magic, it was on Marge's last night there, and he didn't want the Ministry to take away his wand, so he ran away. Right before the Knight Bus almost killed him, he saw Sirius…or rather, Padfoot. Sirius just wanted to see Harry before he began his journey north, but who knows what Peter will do? The first thing he decides to do might be to go after Harry."

"What are we standing around here for, then?" Sirius said, suddenly standing up. "Let's go get Harry!"

"We still have time," Ginny said positively, sounding very sure of herself. "Peter only just escaped within the past forty-eight hours. If he has any brains _at all_, he'll stay away from Harry for the time being. Plus, although we never actually discussed it in my time, I'm pretty sure going to see Harry was your first stop, Sirius. That means it took a while for you to get to Little Whinging from Azkaban; Pettigrew is a rat, it'll take him longer. Oh and we'll need to be careful about actually going to get him, as well."

"Why?" Sirius asked.

"For the same reason that Peter needs to stay away from Harry," Remus responded knowingly. "The Ministry and Dumbledore will be keeping an eye on the only survivor of Voldemort's attack—his attack based on information given to him by Peter, the recently escaped convict."

"Then what do we do until we go to get Harry?" Sirius questioned, slowly sinking back down into his seat.

"I'm sure we still have a _few_ rooms in this place that we haven't been able to get to yet," Ginny told him. "You know, rooms that need to be cleaned."

"I suddenly find myself with no free time until we have to go pick Harry up from the Dursley's," Sirius said, promptly standing up again. "I'll be seeing you two." And without another word he was gone from the kitchen.

"You know," Remus said thoughtfully, standing up as well, "I think I'll be going now, too."

"Why?" Ginny asked from her position where she was still standing in front of the sink, aimlessly cleaning off her breakfast dishes.

Remus looked pointedly at her hands, immersed in soapy water. "Do you remember what happened the last time Kreacher found you doing work? And I've got a book I've been meaning to read for a while now."

"Hmm…" Ginny said, hurriedly pulling her hands out of the water and drying them off haphazardly with the towel lying next to the sink. "Suddenly, reading a book doesn't sound like such a bad idea. I'll be seeing you around, Remus."

And that was how discussion of a former friend-turned-hated-enemy/escaped-convict turned into the scene of a rather ancient-looking house elf doing breakfast dishes.

* * *

"So, remind me again why they're coming to pick you up earlier than planned?" A rather dejected-looking Dudley asked his cousin a few days later.

"Because one of my mum and dad's old friends—the one who betrayed them to Voldemort—escaped from prison, and they think he's going to come after me. So they want to bring me to a safe place until it's time to leave for Hogwarts," Harry replied. "They might not like Dumbledore, but they can't deny that at Hogwarts, where he is headmaster, is probably the safest place in the world."

"So now you're leaving," Dudley began, "And I'm going to get stuck with Aunt Marge."

"It can't be that bad," Harry said consolingly, patting his blonde cousin on the shoulder. "You get paid really well, and she adores you, doesn't she?" He grimaced. "That sounded really weird…let's forget I said that."

A small grin passed across Dudley's face and he shook his head slowly, rolling his eyes at the same time. Before anything more could be said, however, a knock resounded on the door. Petunia poked her head into the room that had been designated as Harry's for his visits. It had formerly been a storage room for all of Dudley's old toys, but two summers ago, it had been emptied out, repainted, and made livable for a soon-to-be teenage boy.

"They're here, Harry," Petunia told them. "They're waiting for you downstairs."

With a nod, Harry followed his aunt out of his bedroom, down the stairs, and into the kitchen, Dudley trailing behind him. There they found Sirius, Remus, and Ginny all sitting around the table drinking tea.

"Harry," Ginny said with a nod. Remus smiled at the boy. Sirius, however, had quite a different reaction.

"Oh, thank goodness you're coming home with us!" Sirius cried, jumping out of his seat, where he had been sitting edgily and looking as if he felt quite out of place in the room full of muggle appliances. He was a streak as he quickly covered the small space in between himself and Harry, throwing his arm around the boy when he reached him. "I've been so alone without you! Ginny tried to make me clean, and Moony tried to have intelligent conversations with me…and Kreacher looked at me as if I'd killed you because it was just too hard to explain why you didn't come home from school…Harry, it was horrible. Never leave home again!"

"So the whole thing with Peter Pettigrew escaping from Azkaban was just a hoax to get me home so that you could go back to your old carefree, highly-caffeinated, sugar-high self?" Harry questioned awkwardly patting Sirius' shoulder in an attempt to comfort the older man.

"Peter Pettigrew?" Petunia cut in suddenly, before Sirius could answer. "He was on the Morning News…but that name…it sounds so familiar, I know I've heard it before. And I know he was the one who told that Voldemort fellow where to find you and your parents, Harry," She added in quickly. "I just know there's somewhere else I've heard his name…but where?"

"From Lily?" Remus suggested softly. "She might've mentioned him a few times; she always was so kind and accepting of him." There was an odd glint in his eyes as he said the last part.

Petunia was silent for a moment. Then she sighed deeply. "That would be it. Ah, Lily," She shook her head, "Always going out of her way to be kind to people…like me, for instance. I nowhere near deserved how she treated me, what with the way _I_ treated _her_…"

"I wish it was a hoax," Ginny said with a sigh then, getting them back on topic. "Then we could all just go on peacefully living our normal lives."

"Did she just call us 'normal'—or, our lives, I mean?" Sirius questioned Harry.

"Yes, I think she did," Harry replied.

"I'm insulted," Sirius said theatrically. "The nerve…I have never been 'normal' in my entire life."

"That's for sure," Remus muttered. "What's normal about being able to turn into a giant, flee-infested dog?"

Sirius gasped and was about to respond to that, but Ginny, who was trying very hard not to laugh, cut him off.

"As I was saying," She said in a louder voice than she normally used, to drown out Sirius, "Peter really did escape from Azkaban. However, we believe that if things take the same course as they did before, then he won't try to come after you yet, Harry. And he won't come after you at all," She added, looking to Petunia and Dudley now.

"Hopefully," Harry muttered.

"He wouldn't have any reason to," Petunia said firmly. "The only reason he would come here, would be for you, Harry, and I'm sure he's smart enough to figure out that you would have _some_ protection surrounding you. Plus, it's quite possible that he knows of me through Lily, so he'll know that she and I were anything but close before she died. For all that he might find out that you spend time here, he probably won't think you enjoy our company very much."

"Dad's home," Dudley said suddenly, his head turned towards the direction of the front of the house.

"We'll be leaving, then," Ginny said, standing up, "I'm sure it would be easier for you if we spent as little time as possible in Vernon's…presence."

"I agree," Petunia said shortly. She and Ginny started walking towards the front door now, the others not far behind. Sirius and Remus held Harry's trunk in between them, Hedwig's cage perched atop it.

When the group reached the front door, Petunia turned to face Harry. She pulled him into a tight embrace. "I'm sure we'll see you sometime over Christmas, and we'll be sure to write to you. You just make sure you reply."

"I will," Harry replied, staring pointedly at Ginny over his aunt's shoulder, "I _always_ reply when people send me letters."

Ginny just rolled her eyes and turned towards the door. She pulled it open and there, standing on the threshold, was a female version of Vernon Dursley.

"Marge!" Petunia cried, breaking away from Harry and turned to face her sister-in-law. "We didn't hear the car pull up. It's so good to see you again."

Marge nodded. "Vernon parked on the street out front; someone else's car was in the driveway."

"Oops," Ginny said sheepishly. "That's mine. Sorry, we were just leaving."

"Oh, Marge, this is my nephew, Harry," Petunia gestured to the boy in question. "He's been staying with us for a few weeks."

"Yes, Vernon…informed me about him." Marge said curtly and Harry smiled at her pleasantly.

"Well, it was wonderful meeting you, Ms. Dursley," Harry told her politely, his tone one of utmost sincerity. "I've heard nothing but wonderful things about you from Dudley, I'm just sorry that I'm leaving before I really get a chance to know you myself."

Marge glared suspiciously at Harry's back as he turned away from her and walked out of the front door just as Vernon was walking up towards it.

"Bye, Uncle Vernon!" Harry said cheerfully. "I'll see you at Christmas!"

"Vernon," Ginny said brightly, smiling at him with a nod of her head as she followed Harry out of the house. Remus, too, nodded as he walked past the large man. Vernon glared at both of them as they passed.

"It was good seeing you, Vernon, old pal," Sirius said enthusiastically. "We really need to get together more often. Hey, maybe I'll stop by sometime when I'm not too busy!"

Vernon's eyes widened in horror and his mouth fell open. "But—"

"Bye, Dudley! See you, Petunia!" Sirius called, getting into Ginny's car. "Oh, and nice meeting you, Marge!"

Harry waved out of the window as they drove away and Dudley waved back.

"I think Vernon's going to get a restraining order against you one of these days," Remus observed as he caught one last glance of Vernon's purple face before the car turned the corner.

"…A what?" Sirius said after a moment's hesitation.

"Never mind," Remus said with a shake of his head. "Let's just go home."

**Rewritten 6/4/12**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

"Aunt Ginny?" A voice said softly from the doorway.

Ginny looked up from the book she had been reading to see Harry standing in the doorway to her bedroom in Grimmauld Place. In the year that they had been there, Ginny—with some help from Remus, and much less from Sirius—had managed to go through most of the dark and dreary house, reminiscent of Snape's potions classroom at Hogwarts, and give it a brighter and more cheerful atmosphere. Or, as cheerful as one could possibly get in a house that, no matter how much was cleaned or thrown away, was still clearly formerly inhabited by dark wizards at some point.

"Hello, Harry," Ginny said, giving him a smile. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in bed by now? We're off to Hogwarts bright and early tomorrow morning."

"I couldn't sleep," Harry admitted, scuffing his bare foot against the doorframe, clearly uneasy.

"Come sit down," Ginny told him, putting her book down and patting the empty expanse of bed beside her.

Harry walked into the room and sat down next to his aunt on the bed as he had done as a child whenever he had had those recurring nightmares of a flash of green light. As he sat there, he pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them and tucking his knees under his chin.

"What's bothering you, Harry?" Ginny asked when Harry made no move to speak. "You aren't nervous to go back to school, are you?"

Harry shook his head slowly. "No…not exactly. It's just…there was something I wanted to ask you. Actually, I've been meaning to ask you for the past month—ever since we got back from the Dursley's."

Ginny was silent, waiting for him to continue, and he did a moment later.

"I was just wondering," He began slowly, "You were kind of tight-lipped about it last year, so I was just wondering," He repeated, "If there was anything you can tell me is going to happen this year."

Ginny was silent for a minute, staring at Harry with a contemplative look upon her face. "There are things that did happen _before_," She finally admitted, "But I'm not sure if they are still going to apply this year."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Well, for one, Sirius isn't the one who escaped from Azkaban this time around," Ginny stated. "It was Peter. And Sirius and Peter are two totally different people, with different thought processes, who make different decisions. By this point, Sirius would have already shown himself to you as an animagus; unintentionally, of course. And, as far as we know, we haven't seen Peter at all."

"Do you think Peter will come to Hogwarts?" Harry asked, looking a bit anxious.

"It's hard to tell," Ginny replied. "We don't have any clues at all about why he broke out. With Sirius, they at least knew he was headed for Hogwarts. Of course, everyone thought he was coming to get you, because they didn't know about Peter." She paused. "Since we're going to be just as in the dark as everyone else for this one, I'll try to keep you as updated as possible with things that happened before." She paused again, a slight smile on her face. "And this time I really do promise that I'll write back to you."

"Good," Harry muttered. "Because that was really annoying last year."

Ginny smiled. The two sat in a comfortable silence, and a few more minutes passed.

"There was something else, too," Harry said suddenly.

Ginny looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Yes?"

"I don't suppose you would happen to know who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is going to be?" Harry asked swiftly. "Because, you know, I was just thinking about how that might have stayed the same and how if it did, it might have something to do with what might happen with Peter trying to get into Hogwarts or…something."

"Or maybe you just wanted to know who the new staff member was going to be before everyone else," Ginny said with a laugh.

"Of course not," Harry said innocently and Ginny rolled her eyes.

"That is something you are going to have to wait just a bit longer to find out," Ginny informed him. "I won't tell you whether or not it's the same person as before, but I will tell you that in twenty-four hours time, you _will_ know who it is."

"But I wanna know _now,_" Harry said in a whiny voice. Ginny just laughed.

"Go to bed, Harry," She told him. "You have to be able to get up tomorrow morning so that we can get to Kings Cross at a reasonable time and not just before the train is about to leave."

"Oh, _joy_," Harry muttered, standing back up, "Another school year begins. 'Night, Aunt Ginny."

"Good Night Harry," Ginny called as Harry left the room, closing the door behind him. She was just looking down at her book again when another voice spoke in her room.

"They grow up so fast, don't they?"

"Who's there?" Ginny demanded, her head jerking up, every inch of her body suddenly on red alert. Her previously unseen wand was out in front of her in a flash.

"It's just me," The voice continued, stepping out of the shadows next to the wardrobe across from Ginny's bed. Destiny gave a small wave as she took another step so that she was standing next to the bed. "Who did you think I was, Peter?"

"Could have been," Ginny muttered, lowering her wand.

"Always looking for the worst in things, aren't you?" Destiny said. "That's not good for your health, you know."

"Was there something you wanted? Or did you just come here to annoy me?" Ginny snapped suddenly.

Destiny just rose an eyebrow.

"Sorry," Ginny mumbled sheepishly, then she gave a small grin. "It feels weird apologizing to someone who is obviously so much younger than I am."

"It feels even weirder being yelled at," Destiny said in a confiding tone. "Not many people yell at angels, you know…unless of course they're the bad kind of angel, but I'm not, so…"

"Sorry," Ginny said again. "It's just been so hectic lately. What with Peter breaking out of Azkaban and Harry going back to school. And, you know, Harry got all of his Hogwarts stuff before the breakout, and Petunia already signed his permission form for Hogsmeade, and then she sent it ahead to McGonagall, because she didn't trust Harry to not lose it. So now we have to let Harry go in to the village, and it really isn't safe with Peter on the loose, but none of us are his legal guardian or parent, so there's nothing we can do about it, and—"

"I understand," Destiny cut in gently. "It's alright; I forgave you the first time you said 'sorry.'" She paused. "But I did have a reason for coming here," She continued, "And it has to do with Peter."

"I'm listening," Ginny said, leaning forward a bit, as if to hear the girl before her better.

"Peter escaped the same way Sirius did, back in your second year," Destiny stated. "He used his animagus form to slip passed the dementors unnoticed."

"I knew there was something I was forgetting!" Ginny exclaimed. She covered her own mouth with her hand in surprise at the volume of her voice. Remembering that there were three others in the house besides her (all of whom were probably sleeping) she continued in a softer tone, "We talked about how Sirius escaped when he saw the picture of Peter as a rat, and I mentioned how Harry saw Sirius as Padfoot. But I never told them that the way Sirius was able to escape was by using his animagus form. Does this change anything? Make it easier?"

Destiny shook her head. "You can hardly tell Harry to keep on the lookout for a rat, even one that's missing a toe. Peter will blend in too easily."

"Then…how do we find him?" Ginny asked, suddenly downhearted. "If he's going to blend in so well with other rats, how are we _ever_ going to be able to find him?"

"I'm so glad you asked," Destiny said with a smile. "I've an acquaintance I want you to meet, if you don't mind."

Ginny shrugged and Destiny's smile widened. "Oi! Fatima! Get down here!"

"Fatima?" Ginny repeated eyebrows raised.

Now it was Destiny's turn to shrug. "It bugs her when I call her that. But I think it's a great improvement upon her real name. Seriously, what would she do without me to twist her name out of proportion for my own amusement?"

"I would probably spend significantly less time with a constant migraine," A new voice said from the other side of Ginny's bed. "Similarly, I don't know how many times I've told you this over the years, but _my name is Fate!_"

Ginny turned to see another girl had suddenly appeared in her room. The new girl looked as if she might be just the slightest bit older than Destiny; her dark hair was plaited all the way down to her waist, the opposite of Destiny's blonde hair that was always left free from any confines. She was wearing robes of a tan color, whereas Destiny's were a pale green. Ginny wasn't sure, but she had a feeling…

"Yeah," Destiny said with a nod. "I know. But your annoyance amuses me. Don't you _want_ to amuse me? Do you know how much _harder_ both of our lives would be if I was bored all of those times I spent…" She paused, a slight frown on her face as she contemplated her word choice, "…time…coming up with weird names to call you?"

"I'm sure it would be time spent doing other things that you have no time to get done now, because you spend all of your free time annoying me while I _do_ try to get things done." Fate replied.

"Hmm…" Destiny said contemplatively. "You might have a point, there."

"Just like you had a point bringing your friend here?" Ginny said in an attempt to get Destiny on track. She turned to Fate now, a pleasant smile on her face. "It's Fate, isn't it?" The other girl nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you, then, Fate. I'm sorry you have to spend so much time in her company," She nodded in Destiny's direction.

"Hey!" Destiny cried, "I thought you liked me?"

"I like you a lot," Ginny said, her eyes innocently wide and sounding very patronizing. "But I like you the best when you're telling me about what I should do to help Harry live."

"Oh…" Fate said suddenly, a look of understanding crossing her face as she looked from Destiny to Ginny back to Destiny again. "I understand why you brought me here now. Because before, I was all like, 'why on earth is Destiny on Earth? And what does she want me there for?' And it was all very confusing, and it gave me a _huge_ headache."

"Huh…" Destiny said slowly. "That's a first. You kind of sounded like me for a second there. Kind of scary, to tell you the truth." She shook her head slightly then and turned back to Ginny. "As you might have gathered by now, this is my friend, Fati-_Fate._ She, like myself is an angel, which, again, you might have figured out by now. So, the only question that remains, from you, is why is she here?"

"Uh, yeah, that'd be my question, too," Fate cut in.

"-And that's exactly the question I am going to answer for you right now," Destiny continued as if there hadn't been an interruption. "My friend Fate, over there, deals in a specific branch of…er, angelry. More specifically, the fate of others."

"I don't suppose you would happen to be Harry Potter's Angel of Fate?" Ginny asked Fate.

Fate nodded. "Let me tell you, the headaches I've received from listening to Destiny over there talk for hours on end is nothing compared to the headaches I've gotten learning all of the different fates to befall that boy. Magnet for danger, that one."

"You're telling me," Ginny said. "I'm the one who's trying to get him to avoid all of that danger."

"Since Fatey and mine's jobs both center around Harry," Destiny continued, "That makes us partners."

"I wish it didn't," Fate muttered.

"Be quiet," Destiny commanded her. "You love me and you know it." She turned back to Ginny, "So, I decided to call upon my connection in the Fate Department in order to figure out your best course of action for the coming year."

"Haven't we talked about hiring me out without at least informing me first?" Fate demanded. Without waiting for a reply she turned to Ginny and continued, "That doesn't mean I won't help, of course. Ever since I found out Harry would become an orphan, I've been trying my best to help him out…with his situation in life."

"Can you do that?" Ginny asked, curious. "Can you-this probably isn't the right word, mind you-interfere with people's lives?"

"Not directly," Fate replied. "The same rules that apply to Destiny apply to me, and all other angels. I know she told you about how she couldn't go back directly and save Harry in the Final Battle. Instead, she just manipulated the circumstances—But you know all of that. The point is, while Destiny can't change things that will ultimately change someone's Destiny, similarly, I can't lead someone down a path opposite the one fate will ultimately lead them down. Does that make sense?"

Ginny nodded. "Yeah, but then how can you help Harry? How can we make sure he survives this time?"

"Through you," Destiny said, smiling softly. "You're more than just the person who, in the end, made it possible for Harry to get things right a second time around. You are the one who is going to lead him down the path of…righteousness…nah, that can't be the right word to use."

"You can say that again," Fate muttered.

"I know I might have said this a few times already," Ginny began, "But what are we going to do to help Harry _now_?"

"You know how things happened last time," Fate stated, taking over for Destiny now. "The summer before Harry's third year, Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban, using his animagus form. Well, the same thing happened this time. The exact same thing."

"But the Ministry _knows_ that Peter is an animagus," Ginny said exasperatedly. "That's the way he was able to fake his death, at first. How did they let him slip past them like that? Surely they'd have more than just dementors to guard him."

"That's what you'd think, isn't it?" Destiny said dryly. "It's a shame that's not the case. No. Your beloved Ministry of Magic needs a few tries to get things right, evidently."

"Trust me," Ginny said, "_I_ don't love _them_."

"Me either," Destiny said. "What a strange coincidence."

"Back to what I was saying," Fate said, cutting Destiny off, "Peter, however, had help. I know you were talking about that this morning, Ginny, with Remus and Sirius. Peter Pettigrew isn't nearly smart enough to pull off something like that on his own. Bellatrix Lestrange, on the other hand, is quite capable of such a feat. Unfortunately for her, she never took the time to become an animagus."

"She had the cell next to Peter's," Ginny said softly. "It was right in front of us the whole time—They even mentioned her in the article. She wouldn't talk when they asked how Peter got out. The ministry officials would have dismissed it as normal behavior for someone who's been in there for twelve years, but I'm sure Bellatrix has a firm grip on her own mind. That's not to say she hasn't gone insane, though."

Fate nodded. "Upon learning what Peter could do, Bellatrix set to planning a way for him to escape. She's been planning for years, waiting for the Ministry to relax a bit with their guarding of Peter. Unfortunately, however, just as the Ministry didn't know this was coming, neither did Destiny or I. The only set plan Bellatrix and Peter had was for him to escape and find Voldemort. Harry never fit into their equation, so our attention wasn't directed towards them."

"Until they escaped," Destiny concluded.

"So, that means you know what they're going to do?" Ginny asked slowly. "You know what Peter and Bellatrix are planning, concerning Harry?"

But both Destiny and Fate shook their heads at this.

"All we know is that Peter is headed towards the North, towards Hogwarts. And that Harry and Peter are both destined and fated to cross paths in some way," Fate said. "Bellatrix realized, not too long ago, that, if they really want Voldemort's praise for more than just finding him, they should bring Harry Potter to him." Ginny visibly paled. "Preferably alive…" Fate trailed off, not wanting to voice the actions Voldemort would perform with an alive Harry Potter.

"They're going to try to get to Harry at Hogwarts…" Ginny said thoughtfully. She grinned suddenly. "You know, right now, I've never been more glad that more than one thing that happened before hasn't changed in the slightest…"

**Rewritten 8/8/12**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer-The characters all belong to J.K. Also, most of the descriptions and events relating to the Dementor on the train had their origins in **_**Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban**_**. I own nothing! Except the insanity of the plot…**

**Chapter Twenty**

"I can't believe her!" Harry said, not angrily, exactly…just in a voice that showed his constant frustration at the things his Aunt wouldn't tell him about beforehand. He stood up suddenly, making his head spin a bit. Shaking his head, he glanced down at the chocolate in his hand; the chocolate he had promised to eat in order to offset the reaction he'd had to the Dementor's presence in the compartment. "Why wouldn't she tell me he would be here? Why wouldn't _he _tell me he was going to be here?"

"I'm sure they had a good reason, Harry," Hermione said, trying to calm him down, though he wasn't paying her any attention at the moment.

"They could have at least told me he was coming on the train!" Harry continued his rant. "You know, instead of telling me that he wasn't feeling well, due to the last—" He abruptly stopped talking.

"The last what?" Ron asked curiously.

"Nothing," Harry said swiftly.

"I think I hear him coming back," Neville said suddenly, as he looked through the glass on the compartment door.

It was September first, and the three new third years had been on their way back to Hogwarts when the train had suddenly stopped. When the lamps had suddenly, and without warning, been extinguished Neville had found his way into their compartment to find out what was going on and he had been followed moments later by Ginny Weasley. Just when Hermione had made up her mind to see if she could go up to the front and ask the conductor what was going on, the compartment door had opened to reveal a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling.

Almost immediately, an intense cold permeated the compartment. Harry could feel it inside of his chest, inside every fiber of his being. He had felt as if he was drowning inside of the cold. And then the screaming had started. They were terrible, terrified, pleading screams. It was a woman screaming. Harry wanted to help her, but he couldn't move his arms, and then all he saw was blackness…

The next thing he knew, someone was shaking his shoulders and calling his name. When he finally came to and opened his eyes, he realized two things. One, he was lying on the floor, and two, Remus was kneeling over him. The shock of seeing one of the people who'd raised him kneeling over him, while on the train to Hogwarts, had temporarily made Harry forget the reason why he was lying on the floor of the Hogwarts' Express in the first place.

"Remus?" He'd questioned, trying to sit up. His head had spun, and Remus pushed his shoulder down so that he was flat on the floor again. "What are you doing here?"

"That's not important now," Remus had replied. He reached into his robes and pulled out a great bar of chocolate. He broke a piece off and handed it to Harry, "Here, eat this." He broke several more pieces off and handed them to Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville as well, "All of you, eat."

Harry, having been raised on the seemingly all-curing magic of chocolate, dutifully wolfed his piece down, knowing better than to refuse. He also knew that Remus was better than his Aunt Ginny was; he would most definitely answer questions put to him in a timely fashion. But before Harry got the chance to repeat his question after swallowing his mouthful of chocolate, Remus had stood up, announced he was going to have a word with the driver, handed Harry yet another piece of chocolate, and then disappeared down the train.

After attempting to sit up again, and realizing that the first piece of chocolate had done its job, Harry had stood up. Once he'd gotten his bearings back around him, he'd proceeded to start complaining about his aunt, once again, not warning him about something she'd obviously known about, beforehand. Which brings us back to the present moment…

With Neville's pronouncement, Harry promptly stopped his ranting and sat down in the seat he had previously been occupying. No sooner had he done so, then the door to the compartment opened and Remus entered it once more.

"Not hungry?" He asked with his brow raised, not looking at Harry, but at the uneaten piece of chocolate in the boy's hand.

Before Remus had even finished speaking, Harry shoved the entire piece of chocolate in to his mouth.

"What did the driver say?" Hermione asked suddenly, cutting Remus off just as he was about to say something more to Harry.

Remus' attention immediately shifted to her. "He said we'll be arriving shortly," He announced. "So you'll all need to be getting ready, soon." He glanced at his watch, then, and as he did so, he backed towards the door at the same time. "I'll be seeing all of you at the banquet; I've got a few things to take care of now."

And without another word, he had exited the compartment once more and disappeared off down the train. Harry narrowed his eyes at the spot where Remus had previously been standing.

"He's gone to tell Aunt Ginny what just happened," Harry muttered. "They're all the same…adults…they can spend your entire life telling you all you could ever know about boring stuff like goblin rebellions and mistreated magical creatures, but when there's something you really need an answer to, they won't give it to you. And why—"

"Harry," Hermione tried to interrupt, but Harry was too far gone in his ranting to take notice.

"—is he even _here_?" Harry demanded of no one in particular. "I'm on my way to _Hogwarts_, for Merlin's sake! Ignoring the random appearance of Dementors, they can't possible expect someone to try and attack me on the _train_!"

"Harry!" Hermione shouted, causing Harry to glance in her direction just as he opened his mouth to continue speaking. She glanced meaningfully at Neville, who was looking at Harry with an incredibly confused expression upon his face. "You heard what Moony said: we're going to be at Hogwarts soon; we have to change."

"Oh, yeah," Harry said shortly, recalling Neville's presence in the compartment. "Yes…uniform…got it…"

"Well," Ron began, almost pleasantly, "This year already looks to be living up to last year's standards…"

* * *

"I've recently decided to just give up," Harry announced morosely to Ron and Hermione as the three of them made their way out of the Great Hall after the welcoming feast. "The world is clearly against me, so why not just give in and not try to do anything more to change that?"

"Are you feeling okay, Harry?" Hermione asked him, looking at him with concern. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm giving up," Harry restated. "The world hates me and there's nothing more I can do to change that."

"Are you sure you feeling alright, mate?" Ron asked now. "This doesn't have anything to do with that Dementor on the train, does it? We can bring you to Moon—Professor Lupin, if you want."

Harry's eyes narrowed at the mention of Remus. "I'm fine, thanks. I won't be needing any side visits to the professor."

"Oh…" Hermione said slowly, comprehension dawning. "This is about Moony becoming our Defense professor and not telling you about it beforehand, isn't it?"

"Gee, ya think?" Harry said darkly. "Why does no one trust me anymore? They won't tell me anything!"

"I'm sure it isn't that they don't trust you, Harry," Hermione said consolingly. "I'm sure it could have just slipped their minds. They've been really worried about you, Harry, what with Pettigrew escaping and all of that."

"Yes, I'm sure," Harry said dryly. "But wouldn't you expect them to remember the tiny detail that Moony was actually going to be at school with me if they were so hyped up about my protection? Besides, I'm willing to bet my entire Gringotts account that Moony taught here before, in Aunt Ginny's time. And I specifically asked her about who the teacher was, in case the teacher had anything to do with Peter. And do you wanna know what she said?" He continued on without pausing to wait for a reply, "She told me that I would just have to wait and see!"

"Well, well, well, Mr. Potter," An oily voice said from behind where the trio stood in the middle of the deserted hallway. "It would appear that you'll have a set future as a poet when you fail all of your classes."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned to see none other than Professor Snape standing behind them.

"I believe you were supposed to be making your way to Gryffindor Tower and your beds," Snape continued pointedly. "I'll have to take points off if you continue to loiter in the halls."

Once the trio had made their way hastily around the next corner and out of Snape's sight, Harry looked pointedly at his two friends.

"What did I tell you?" He said. "The world obviously hates me."

**Rewritten 8/8/12**


	21. Chapter 21

**a/n-In regards to the previous chapter, I realize Harry might seem a bit as if he had a personality transplant in between Ch. 19 and Ch. 20. However, I thought it would be understandable that he'd be a bit upset that Ginny refused to share with Harry that one of the men who raised him was going to be his new teacher, especially because in Ch. 19 he specifically asked who the new DADA professor was going to be. I hope that clears up any confusion you might have had. Enjoy the chapter!**

**disclaimer-I own nothing.**

**Chapter Twenty One**

"Is it just me, or is Potions harder this year?" Ron questioned his friends.

The trio was currently making it's way as far away from the Potions classroom as possibly after a particularly excruciating lesson on a Thursday morning at the beginning of October.

"Just for me," Harry replied. "Am I the only one who's noticed that Snape seems to hate me even more than he used to?"

"He doesn't hate you, Harry," Hermione contradicted. Uselessly, however, as this was very nearly the thousandth time she had tried to convince the other two of this.

"Are you willing to bet all of your precious final grades on that?" Harry asked her.

"If I were you, I'd say no," Ron informed Hermione as she opened her mouth to speak.

Hermione ignored him. "You're just overreacting, Harry. Yes, I'll admit you definitely aren't Snape's favorite student, and it would be a sign of the apocalypse if he were too…I don't know…offer to adopt you, or something like that. But Professor Snape doesn't hate you; he's a teacher, he can't just have an unjustified hatred toward one of his students."

"But it isn't unjustified," Harry argued. "You've obviously never been around when Sirius goes on his rants about how much he and his friends all hated Snape and the rest of the Slytherins when they were all in school together." He shook his head here in mock sadness. "You really should be more concerned about this, Hermione. Do you know how much _Hogwarts, A History_ is lacking in information on inter-house relations? Well, let me tell you, it's a lot."

Hermione just shrugged. "Hogwarts has been around for a thousand years, I suppose the author is at liberty to leave just a few small things out at times. Do you realize how enormous that book would be if it had every single little detail about the school in it?"

"Quite large," Ron said succinctly, then quickly changed the subject, "Hurry up, you two. I want to get to lunch; I'm hungry."

"Hmm…" Hermione said contemplatively as they made their way to the Great Hall and their lunch. "You know, I _have_ read _Hogwarts, A History_. Several times, in fact. And not once—never in that entire book—is it mentioned who exactly cooks all of our meals and takes care of all of the cleaning and such in the castle."

"Why would anyone _want_ to know that?" Ron asked her, looking at her strangely, helping himself to three of the chicken legs that had just appeared on a platter before him. "It can't be the most interesting of subjects."

"I suppose not," Hermione said with a bit of a sigh, frowning at Ron's portion sizes. "But I still think it's odd that it's not even mentioned."

"Maybe one day you can write a more complete history of Hogwarts and investigate things like that," Harry suggested. "I, in the meantime, will occupy myself with this delicious-looking meal, never mind who made it."

"A statement well-spoken, Mr. Potter," Sirius' voice came from beside Harry as he sat next to the boy at the table.

"Hey Padfoot," Hermione and Ron said at the same time. Harry, however, ignored his godfather.

"What's up?" Sirius asked, "Enjoying your third year so far?"

"I hate all school," Ron replied with a shrug at the same time Hermione said, "It's absolutely fascinating."

"You were a bit out of sync on that last one," Sirius informed them. He glanced in Harry's direction. "So, the kid still refusing to acknowledge my presence?"

"Without a doubt," Ron said, taking a bite of chicken and then continuing to speak as he chewed, "Harry can be quite stubborn. You raised him, after all."

"Nah, he gets it from his mum," Sirius rolled his eyes. "Took her six years to get over herself and not hate Jamesie so much."

Harry stared pointedly at Hermione, but did not say anything.

"Oh," Hermione's head jerked to Sirius when she realized Harry was staring at her. "Harry would like you to know—" Harry glared at Hermione, "Fine, _I_ don't think talking about Harry's parents is going to get him to talk, Padfoot. He is quite intent not speaking with you for the rest of eternity."

"That's cool," Sirius said with a nod of his head. "I wasn't the fondest of my parental figures either." He sighed dramatically here, "It's a shame, though. I had always wished I'd turn out better than them…"

Harry now pursed his lips tightly as he stared at Hermione, who rolled her eyes in response.

"I should also mention that attempting to guilt him into talking to you will also not be effective," Hermione added, then shook her head, almost as if in disgust, but not quite. "I feel like such an owl."

"Think positively," Sirius told her as he stood up once more, "At least you don't have any feathers." He rose an eyebrow at her, "Or any more fur."

Hermione shuddered as he walked away. "He's never going to let me live that down, is he?"

"I wouldn't," Harry responded.

"Wanna remind me again why you aren't talking to Padfoot, Moony, or your Aunt Ginny?" Ron said in between bites of chicken. "And please don't say you're still upset they didn't tell you that Moony was going to be working here this year."

"Alright, then, I guess I won't tell you," Harry replied.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione sighed. "What are we going to do with you?"

"Not keep secrets from me?" Harry suggested.

"Must you be so _angsty_?" Hermione questioned him. "Isn't there anything else you can occupy all of your time with instead of holding grudges against people?"

"That reminds me, mate," Ron cut in before Harry could respond. "Fred and George stopped me this morning. They were talking to Angelina who was told by Alicia, who was told by Katie, who was told by Oliver to tell you that you have a Quidditch team meeting after dinner tonight. There's something to look forward to."

The smallest of grins cracked Harry's face at this. "I suppose learning about the start of the season that way is better than learning at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning from Oliver like I have before."

"Would you look at that?" Hermione said. "You're already shining positivity. The change is pleasantly astounding."

"Oh, shut up," Harry said, though not really meaning it. "I'm still not going to talk to them."

With the meeting that night, the Quidditch season officially began, Oliver inspiring his team to do their best that year. Harry now spent three nights a week down at the Quidditch pitch practicing with the team. On one particular night, about mid-way through the month of October, Harry came back to the Gryffindor common room to find an excited buzz in the air.

"What's up?" He asked Ron and Hermione as he sat beside them in a chair close the fire.

"The first Hogsmeade date is on Halloween," Ron replied. "Isn't it going to be great?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "I'm so glad I got Aunt Petunia to sign that permission form as soon as I got it, and that she decided to send it ahead to McGonagall right away. We didn't find out until after Hedwig had gone that Pettigrew had escaped, otherwise I bet those lovely people who I am not speaking with would have tried to stop her."

Ron just looked at Harry with his mouth slightly open, as if he was confused and wanted to say something, but then closed it, paused another moment, and said, "Yes, it's nice that we're all going together."

"As long as we get to visit places other than the sweet shop and the joke shop, it will be nice," Hermione told him, just as her cat, Crookshanks jumped up onto her lap. Her hand went up automatically to scratch the top of his head. "There's more to the village than just those two places, I'm sure, never mind that they're all anyone ever talks about."

Ron winced visibly as Crookshanks sat there chewing a large spider. "Have I ever told you that your cat scares me sometimes, Hermione?" He asked, wincing once more as said cat swallowed the remainder of his meal.

Hermione rose an eyebrow. "How does Crookshanks _scare_ you, Ronald?"

"It's the way he looks at me." Ron shivered. "Just look at him now. It's as if he knows something about me that _I_ don't know. It's seriously creepy!"

"What could Crookshanks possibly know about you that you, yourself, don't even know?" Hermione said, rolling her eyes. She scratched Crookshanks behind his ears then, "Ron is just a silly, paranoid guy, isn't he, Crookshanks? You're a good boy, aren't you?"

Ron shuddered again. "I officially hate cats now."

The rest of October passed in what seemed like the blink of an eye and, before the trio knew it, it was Halloween. After standing in a long line of people in the Entrance Hall Harry, Ron, and Hermione were finally allowed to go to Hogsmeade Village. They spent a fun-filled day there, only hiding in random doorways from their D.A.D.A. professor and the school security guard and his girlfriend twice. When they came back to school that evening, before the feast, it was with almost more Honeydukes candy and Zonko's products than they could carry.

After spending most of the day eating candy and drinking butterbeer, it was only with a bit of difficulty that they all found room in their stomachs for the delicious-looking Halloween Feast. Full to the bursting with the meal, and worn-out after their day out, the three made their way back to Gryffindor Tower after dinner with full intentions to actually go to bed at a semi-reasonable hour for a Saturday night. When they reached the hallway that ended with the Fat Lady's portrait, however, it was to find the space packed with students.

"What could possibly be holding everyone up?" Hermione asked, trying unsuccessfully to see over the heads in front of her.

Both Harry and Ron shrugged, just as Percy made his way past them. "Everyone move out of the way!" He called. "Excuse me, I'm Head Boy!"

Once he reached the front of the crowd—the space directly in front of the Fat Lady's portrait, a silence slowly descended upon the group.

"Someone hurry and get Professor Dumbledore!" Percy called.

In a matter of minutes, the Headmaster had arrived, closely followed by Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House; Professor Lupin; and also Sirius Black, the castle security guard. As the group made their way through the large crowd of Gryffindor students, Harry was finally able to see why no one was going into Gryffindor Tower.

The Fat Lady wasn't in her portrait anymore; it had been slashed practically to pieces, chunks of canvas lying on the floor underneath it.

There was only one person on Earth that Harry could think of who would do anything like that; only one person with the knowledge of where the Gryffindor Common Room was, and the ability to get there unnoticed by the castle's inhabitants; only one person with any kind of motive, who would go to any measures to try and get inside of the common room. And that person was Peter Pettigrew.

**Rewritten 8/8/12**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty Two**

"Did we _have_ to spend the night on a hard stone floor?" Ron asked with a groan, stretching his arms above his head and wincing as his back cracked. "I mean, _really_, Dumbledore? Would it really have been _that hard_ to whip up a few camp beds?

"He's talking to himself again," Harry muttered to Hermione out of the corner of his mouth. "Do you see Madame Pomfrey around anywhere?"

Hermione grinned slightly, but otherwise remained silent, too tired to respond in any other capacity. It had been a restless night for all three of them, and it showed in more than Ron's sore back. In addition, Harry was currently sifting through the folds in his squishy purple sleeping bag, running his hands along the material, searching for his glasses, which had somehow become misplaced as he slept. As for Hermione, her normally bushy hair was even messier than usual after an evening spent in sleeping bags on the floor of the Great Hall. Add that to the fact that none of them had gotten a full night sleep, what with first the break-in and then staying up into the early hours of the morning to discuss it as softly as possible so as not to be overheard by the patrolling prefects.

In short, none of the trio was looking their best.

It was the day after Halloween, and as the trio had found out very early that morning, Peter Pettigrew had escaped the castle unseen by anyone, save for the Fat Lady right before he had brutally defaced her portrait during the previous evening's feast. As he had lain awake the night before—long after both Hermione and Ron had drifted off to an uncomfortable sleep—Harry had come to a momentous conclusion.

With this un-detected break-in, Harry had reached the decision that it was about time he started talking to his aunt, godfather, and adopted uncle again. His unhappiness over the fact that they had kept Remus' new job from him was miniscule in comparison to the threat that Pettigrew posed to not just Harry, but apparently all of Hogwarts' students. He couldn't believe that his Aunt Ginny would keep something big like Pettigrew breaking into Hogwarts from him, but he was quite positive that there were definitely other things they had to share with him about the escaped convict. After all, two out of three of them had been his best friends, once upon a time. They had known everything there was to know about Peter—or, almost everything, after his shocking betrayal of Harry's parents had been discovered.

When his hands finally clenched around the cool metal wire that was his glasses, Harry shoved them onto his face and turned resolutely to face the entrance to the Great Hall, still sitting in his sleeping bag.

"I've got to find Sirius," He stated.

When he spoke Hermione and Ron turned to look at him at the same time, then turned to look at each other, then back at Harry again. Harry looked at them a bit worriedly as they did this.

"Is something wrong, you guys?" He asked them.

"No…" Ron said slowly. "But did you just say what I think you just said?"

"Because if you did just say what _we_ think you just said," Hermione began, emphasizing the 'we' part and giving Ron a look as she did so. He merely shrugged it off. "Then we really do need to find Madame Pomfrey. Are you feeling alright, Harry?"

"I'm fine," Harry replied, looking confused. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Mate, you just said you wanted to go find Sirius," Ron pointed out. "You haven't wanted to speak to Sirius or Remus _or_ your Aunt Ginny for the past two months. What's with the sudden change of heart?"

"Do you not recall the fact that we're sitting in the Great Hall, where we just spent the night sleeping in ridiculously purple sleeping bags?" Harry questioned his two friends suspiciously. "And do you not recall that we ended up here as a result of a break-in by Peter Pettigrew, mass murderer and escaped prisoner from Azkaban?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry's reasoning for finally breaking his vow of silence to the majority of the only family he had left. "Well, Sirius will be pleased, anyway."

To say that Sirius would be pleased was quite the understatement. From the moment he opened the door to his office in answer to Harry's knock until the trio left just a few minutes later with the excuse that they needed breakfast, there was much evidence of the fact that he was more than overjoyed that his godson was finally speaking to him again. In between that time, there was also much evidence of the fact that Sirius had clearly consumed great amounts of caffeine already that day. It was entirely possible that the fact that Sirius was literally bouncing off of the walls in excitement over seeing Harry had quite a bit to do with the trio claiming sudden hunger just minutes after entering the security guard's office.

During those few minutes, however, Harry was able to secure a time for later in the day when he could meet with both Sirius and Remus. Harry was sincerely hoping that his godfather would have calmed down considerably by that time, but knowing the longevity of some of Sirius' past sugar- and caffeine-highs, he didn't have very high expectations.

After spending the remainder of the morning and then the early afternoon doing homework—at Hermione's insistence—and discussing what they'd be talking with Sirius about, the trio made their way back to Sirius' office at around mid-afternoon. Preparing himself for the worst, Harry slowly rose his hand to the solid oak door and knocked.

"Think positively Harry," Hermione said softly as footsteps were heard approaching the door, "Nothing will ever be worse than the summer we were eight and Sirius made up National Sugar Week."

"I hope you're right," Harry muttered as the door was suddenly flung open to reveal Sirius standing there, a wide grin stretched across his face.

"Harry!" Sirius cried, throwing his arms around the teenage boy and nearly choking him to death in his excitement. He let go just as Harry started turning purple from lack of oxygen and held his godson at arm length, saying, "You came back! Just like you promised."

"Yeah, and I'm regretting it already," Harry replied, rubbing his neck.

"Don't worry, he'll get over it soon," An unseen Remus said consolingly from somewhere behind Sirius, who had positioned himself strategically in the doorway so that none of the trio could see past him and into the office. "For your sake, hopefully it will be within the week."

"You can say that again," Harry muttered.

"Come in, come in, you three," Sirius said enthusiastically, ushering the trio into his office. "We have much to discuss; so much to catch up on and so little time."

Harry took all of one step into Sirius' office before he stopped dead in his tracks, causing both Ron and Hermione to almost run into him.

"Aunt Ginny?" He asked incredulously, staring at the red-haired woman sitting in the middle of the couch. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in Hogsmeade yesterday with my boyfriend, and I was too tired to go back home for the night, so I got a room at the Hog's Head. As I was eating a late breakfast, I heard about the break-in and came straight here to make sure my boyfriend was alright."

Harry looked at his aunt suspiciously. "Well, if that's the story you're going with…"

Ginny grinned at him, then held out her arms. "Come here, Harry. I've missed you—and your letters—these past two months."

Harry obligingly went over and gave his aunt a hug, then sat next to her on the couch. Ron and Hermione sat on her other side. Once Sirius had settled himself in his armchair (Remus was in the armchair next to him, with an open book in his lap though he didn't _appear_ to be reading it at the present moment) Ginny spoke again.

"Now, that we're all here, let's get down to business," She said. She turned to Harry, "I assume you're here because of Peter, am I correct?"

"Yeah." Harry's tone of voice and the look he gave his aunt both saying how very obvious her assumption was.

"Oi!" She reprimanded him. "Don't you take that tone with me; I changed your diapers. I deserve a teensy amount of respect. It's Sirius you're supposed to give that look to."

"Sorry, Aunt Ginny," Harry said with a small grin, talking over Sirius' protests. "But honestly, if I knew you were going to hold it over my head forever I would have just sat in it."

Ginny merely shook her head, a grin upon her face.

"Moving on," She began in a more serious tone, "Peter Pettigrew. I'm guessing you have lots of questions."

Harry nodded. "Well, yeah. I mean, I already know the basics; he betrayed my mum and dad to Voldemort and framed Sirius for it. And when he tried to fake his own death Sirius got thrown in prison for it until you found Peter disguised as a rat and had Remus turn him in to the authorities, which got Sirius set free."

"What we don't know," Hermione interjected at this point, "Is why Peter decided to break out of prison now, of all times. We want to know if you know what Peter's intentions were when he made his break."

"And we know you know what they were," Ron added in, not giving Ginny a chance to speak yet. "There would be no point in bringing you here to save Harry if everything that happened before would totally change as a result."

Ginny smiled slightly at her brother, sitting next to her. "You know, no one ever gave you enough credit for your brains." She paused slightly before continuing to speak to the trio as a whole, "I don't know for sure why Peter broke out of Azkaban, based on what happened last time, obviously, since it was Sirius who broke out last time and it was _his_ goal to find _Peter_. However, I have it from a very reliable source that Peter is coming for you, Harry."

"Of course he is," Harry said with a sigh. "Because then he's going to find Voldemort and bring me as a sort of offering. Lovely guy, that Peter Pettigrew. Really."

Ginny laughed when Harry finished speaking. "If you already knew that's what Peter is planning then why did you need to come talk to us at all?"

"Oh…" Harry said slowly, looking takenaback, "That's really his goal? Well then…good to know…I guess."

"Well, now that we know Pettigrew really did escape in order to come after you, Harry, I suppose it makes sense that he'd want to take you to You-Know-Who," Hermione said thoughtfully. "Peter might be an idiot to the highest degree, but even if he has been trapped in Azkaban for all these years, he's not stupid enough to go crawling back to his old master without an offering of some sort." Then she frowned. "The thing is, he's not smart enough to come up with a scheme like this at all. And that's only based on the stories you've told us about him from when you were at school together," She added in, directing her last statement to the two marauders.

"He had help," Sirius replied dryly. "My dear cousin Bellatrix was in the cell right next to his. She's the one who came up with his escape plan, and the idea to bring Harry to Voldemort, more or less on a silver platter."

"Bellatrix?" Harry questioned his godfather.

"Bellatrix Lestrange née Black," Sirius said. "Oldest daughter of my father's brother. She's Andromeda's older sister."

"Andromeda's sister is a death eater?" Harry asked dubiously. "_Andromeda's_?"

"What can I say?" Sirius said with a shrug. "You know what Grimmauld Place looked like when we first moved in. Andromeda and I were probably some of the only people in our family who didn't agree with Voldy's ideas." He gave a dry laugh, "For ten years, I thought my friends didn't agree with him either, but Peter proved me wrong."

"Speaking of Peter," Harry said, bringing the conversation back to the reason he, Ron, and Hermione were sitting there in Sirius' office. "Aunt Ginny, I really need to know, is he going to come into the school again? Is he going to come after me at Hogwarts? There is quite a bit of time between now and the end of the school year. I can't exactly picture someone breaking out of Azkaban with the intent of tracking down their master's number one enemy in order to bring said master that very person and then just waiting for something as simple as the school year to end in order to go after that person."

"That's a bit of a mouthful," Sirius muttered.

"He will come back," Ginny responded to Harry's question. "If he follows what Sirius did, he'll break into your dormitory one night when you're sleeping and go after you. But on the bright side, you'll wake up and scream when you see him standing over your bed with a knife and he'll bolt. Or, at least, I hope that's how things will work out."

"And I don't suppose you're going to give me a set timeline for this, are you?" Harry asked her, one eyebrow raised.

Ginny grinned at him. "Oh, you know, free will and all of that. I'm not allowed to tell you when it's going to happen, because you're technically supposed to have the choice of whether or not you want him to kill you. I hope that's not too hard of a choice for you to make, though."

Harry rolled his eyes at his aunt.

"Is there anything else you think we should know about Pettigrew and what's going to happen this year?" Hermione asked Ginny.

"Nothing pressing," Ginny said with a slight shrug. She suddenly turned her attention back to Harry again. "Oh, and Harry, dear? Don't go slacking off during Quidditch practice, all right? This is Oliver's last year, after all; don't ruin it for him."

A while later, the trio was walking in silence back to Gryffindor Tower when Ron suddenly spoke.

"You know," He began thoughtfully, "I think it's a good thing your Aunt Ginny's real identity is a secret, Harry."

"Why's that?" Harry asked him.

"Because," Ron said with a grin, "She obviously knows who's going to win the Quidditch Cup this year, and Oliver would sell his soul to find that out before it happened."

**Rewritten 8/9/12**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty Three**

A rain-soaked Ron and Hermione made their way swiftly through the halls of Hogwarts, attempting to make their way to the Hospital Wing as quickly as possible. They walked in silence, worry for their friend consuming them. They came to a halt only when they reached the closed doors to the Hospital Wing. Ron turned to face Hermione.

"What do we tell him?" He asked her with some trepidation.

Hermione shook her head in a helpless manner. "We'll tell him as much as we know; and that's only if he's awake now."

Ron nodded. "He's going to take it hard."

"Which part?"

Ron just gave her a look. "You've known Harry almost as long as I have. He's going to take _all_ of it hard. Don't be surprised."

"Here's to hoping he stays unconscious at least until Flitwick gets here," Hermione said, reaching her hand out and pulling the door open. "That's the only way we're going to have a definite answer for him."

The pair walked into the hospital wing side-by-side again and slowly made their way down to the end of the room to the only occupied bed. When they reached it, it was to find a deeply sleeping Harry Potter lying on top of the covers, still in his Quidditch robes.

"That's rather lucky for us," Ron commented lightly, collapsing into the chair beside the bed. "Hermione, do we have to be the ones to break the news to him? Can't we pawn it off on someone else? I mean, I know we're friends and all, but do _we_ really have to?"

"I'm sure you'll find a way to get through it, Ronald," Hermione said dryly.

"I knew you'd say that," Ron muttered, more to himself than to the girl now sitting across from him, on the other side of the bed.

The pair sat in silence for the next few minutes, each absorbed in their own thoughts. That silence was broken, however, by the sudden arrival of what looked to be half of Gryffindor House. At the sudden rise in noise level, Madame Pomfrey suddenly came bustling out of her office, looking quite harried.

"My patient needs quiet and rest!" She declared. "Only close friends can stay; the rest of you need to return to your Common Room."

In the end, Ginny Weasley and the remainder of the Gryffindor Quidditch team minus their captain joined Ron and Hermione around Harry's bedside. For the most part, they were a solemn bunch, the Weasley twins occasionally cracking one of their jokes in an attempt to lift everyone's spirits at least a little bit. The most commotion, however, occurred about fifteen minutes after the arrival of Ginny and the team when Professor Flitwick entered the Hospital Wing. There was a bag in his arms, overflowing with twigs and bits of wood.

He deposited it slowly next to Hermione's chair. "If it hadn't been for the wind, it would have been just fine," He said, "But it blew right into the Whomping Willow."

The Charms professor left not too long after that. It was almost immediately after the door closed behind him that Harry's eyelids finally fluttered open. He squinted unseeingly at the din of voices suddenly surrounding him.

"Here, mate," Ron thrust Harry's glasses into the dark-haired teen's groping hand.

The events that followed were definitely not among Harry's favorite moments in his life. In fact, learning that his broom had been destroyed by the Whomping Willow made Harry wish vehemently that he could suddenly age about fifteen years, get appointed to the Board of Governors at Hogwarts, or another such position of authority, and give the order to chop the tree down. Better yet, he'd do it himself.

Losing his broom had made him feel as if he'd lost his best friend. When he'd visited later on in the evening, after everyone else had gone down to dinner, Sirius had sympathized with his godson. Only people of the world of Quidditch could show such a great emotional connection to something as inanimate as a broomstick. And really, those ever-so-smart Quidditch fanatics were quick to recognize that the capability of flight was a far cry from classifying an object as inanimate.

In summation, while Harry really was quite broken up over the fact that his faithful old broomstick had met an untimely death via Whomping Willow, a chat with his godfather had gotten him past the worst of it. Of course, now that they had finished discussing the horrendous experience of having one's beloved broom taken from you so quickly and with such finality, there was something else they needed to discuss. Something which, in all reality, was just a tad more important than the complete and utter decimation of a flying broom.

"So," Sirius began, after he and Harry had spent a moment in silence in remembrance of Harry's broom. "What exactly happened up there? I've never seen you do anything like that before."

Harry knew without asking for clarification that Sirius was referring to the fact that he'd passed out in a dead faint in the presence of the dementors. Nevertheless, he didn't answer immediately.

"I mean, come on, kid," Sirius continued, and Harry really noticed for the first time in his life how his godfather articulated everything he said with wild hand movements. "You've known how to cast a pretty powerful Patronus for what? Is it eight years now?"

"Seven," Harry corrected.

Sirius only nodded emphatically as if that only strengthened the validity of his argument. "Seven years is a long time when you're only thirteen now, Harry. What happened that it didn't work this time? Although, granted, there was that time on the train…and really, that was your first actual exposure to a real Dementor because Ginny would have cursed me to oblivion for bringing a six-year-old into the presence of one of those things. And I suppose I really should keep in mind that you…_ahem_…didn't even have your wand on you. And yes, I know that we've already covered the fact that as official Security Guard for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry it's _my_ duty, above all others, to protect students—especially you, according to that aunt of yours—from any harm they may happen to come across. Okay, yes, it really is my fault you fainted like that, no need to keep giving me that look, Prongslet, I know I'm the most irresponsible person in the world, no need to rub it in so much."

When Sirius finally stopped to take a much-needed breath of air, Harry gave his godfather a very concerned look. And, taking advantage of the sudden silence, he decided to finally get his part in.

"That was…interesting…" Harry said, at a loss for another adjective to describe his godfather's complete exodus from demanding why Harry hadn't been able to fight off a hundred dementors while unarmed and a few hundred feet in the air, practically frozen to his broomstick. And it was only to arrive at the conclusion that it was totally his fault that his godson was lying in the Hospital Wing, the not-so-proud owner of a very scratched and tired body and also an unsalvageable broomstick. It was an interesting turn of events, indeed.

"But there was something other than my lack of a wand or experience against real Dementors," Harry continued softly when it appeared that Sirius was going to start speaking again.

"You didn't see the Grim, did you?" Sirius asked with a slight groan. "I swear, I'm going to demand that Dumbledore fires Trelawney and kicks her out of the castle if she starts having psychic 'convulsions' again the next time I have to go up to her tower. That woman should be committed to St. Mungo's; she's a crazy old bat."

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Harry acknowledged with a slight nod of his head, "Unfortunately, as I have no idea who that woman even is, I am unable to contribute anything to your…opinion of her."

"And you're better off for it," Sirius said, pointing his finger meaningfully at the dark-haired teenager lying on the hospital bed before him. "You have no idea how glad I am that you decided—last-minute, might I add—not to take Divination. With Trelawney as a teacher it's a completely useless subject."

"I see," Harry said, nodding his head and looking as if he was only going along with what Sirius was saying to humor the older man.

Sirius nodded emphatically once more then looked as if a sudden realization had just dawned upon him.

"What were you saying about seeing something, though?" He asked. "It was something important, I'm sure."

Harry nodded his agreement.

"Well?" Sirius prompted. "What did you see?"

Harry's lips compressed into a tight frown for a moment, his gaze far away. He suddenly turned back so that he was looking straight at his godfather.

"I saw a rat," Harry replied. "A very fat rat. And it was sitting at the top of the empty bleachers. And I know it was small and I wasn't that close to it, but it looked an awful lot like Wormtail."

**Rewritten 8/11/12**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty Four**

Sirius' reaction to Harry's revelation hadn't exactly been what the teenage boy had been expecting. After muttering something about always hating rats, Sirius had promptly left the Hospital Wing without another word to his godson. Ron and Hermione had remained constant companions at his bedside for the rest of the weekend except for mealtimes, the Gryffindor Quidditch team had visited again accompanied by their captain this time, and Ginny Weasley had shown up with a handmade card. But it was Sirius who did not make another appearance all weekend.

So, it was with a mission to find the first available opportunity to speak with one Mr. Sirius Black that Harry returned to classes on Monday morning. His determination wouldn't get him anywhere, however, because his godfather was nowhere to be found. And unfortunately for him, the full moon had been just this past weekend, and Remus appeared to be taking a bit of extra time off to recuperate, because Snape was still teaching his classes.

It was with quite a few less points and a detention to serve later on in the week that Harry left Defense Against the Dark Arts that afternoon.

"I told you we should have skived off if Snape was teaching that class again," Ron muttered, walking as fast as he could in the opposite direction from the D.A.D.A. classroom. "I would've rather gotten a detention for _that_ rather than for not doing that stupid essay on something our actual teacher has never even taught us about."

"Where _is_ Remus?" Hermione asked, directing her question towards Harry. "You'd think he'd have recovered enough by now to teach classes."

Harry shrugged, what seemed to be a permanent frown nowadays etched onto his face. "I'd ask Sirius, but I can't find him anywhere. And I really need to talk to him about—" He stopped speaking suddenly, and scanned the area surrounding the trio before continuing in a softer voice, "—Pettigrew being at the game. I can't believe he'd just skip out on me in such an important situation. You know, I really thought the three of them were going to be more truthful with me this year."

"Why don't you write your Aunt Ginny, mate?" Ron suggested. "Then you'll know for sure if something's up with that lot, depending on her answer."

"That's a really good idea, Ron," Hermione complimented him.

"Erm…thanks…" Ron said a bit awkwardly.

"Yes, I'll write a letter to Aunt Ginny," Harry said determinedly. "She promised me she'd tell me everything this year, and I'm going to hold her to that. And really, I don't think she'd go with the same tactics twice. She'll answer my letter; she has to."

The next morning found Harry sitting at the Gryffindor table with what was possibly the gloomiest expression known to mankind upon his face. He had gone immediately to the Owlery after dinner the night before and written his aunt a rather average-length note merely requesting access to the knowledge of the whereabouts of the two remaining Marauders. However, what with the announcement Dumbledore had just given the whole school, Harry was finding himself seriously doubting the accuracy of the reply he was going to receive from his Aunt Ginny, if any, at that.

Dumbledore had stood up at his place when it had appeared that all of the last-minute stragglers had made it into the hall and right before all of the early-birds began leaving in order to get to class earlier than was necessary. While still managing to have that detested twinkle in his eyes, Dumbledore had announced that Professor Lupin's health had taken a bit of a downturn, and therefore there would be a substitute D.A.D.A. teacher until further notice. The only upside to that news—although Dumbledore hadn't actually used those exact words—had been that the sub would not be Professor Snape, as he had his own classes to teach. In what Dumbledore had claimed was a totally unrelated second announcement, Mr. Sirius Black, Head of the one-man security team for Hogwarts, had decided to take a leave of absence, never mind the fact that it was only a short month and a half until Christmas Break—again, not that Dumbledore had actually stated that, but a good deal of confused students did think it.

Harry had been very downhearted to learn of these developments, which had occurred without any previous knowledge on his part. However, unless the reason Sirius and Remus had left had also drawn his Aunt Ginny away for a short time, Harry still found himself holding just the slightest glimmer of hope that she would reply to his letter. His hopes and dreams were crushed, though, when the mail owls arrived and Hedwig was not among them.

"Maybe Hedwig got there too late for you to get a reply at breakfast?" Hermione suggested.

Harry shrugged, "I suppose that's possible." He shook his head then, "But for some reason, I kind of doubt it."

"She wouldn't just ignore you again, though," Ron said, "Would she?"

Harry shook his head immediately. "It's not like her to do the same thing twice. Besides, it's not like it was last year. All that stuff with Riddle was going to happen, no matter how much I knew about it beforehand. This is different than it was before; all that Aunt Ginny can tell me is what Sirius did last time. She should be quite capable of telling me why he went on a leave of absence now; it's not like her to leave me so unprotected."

"You're hardly unprotected, Harry," Hermione stated. "Come on, the one person Voldemort was ever afraid of protects us: Albus Dumbl—_Oh_…."

"Yeah," Harry said with a nod. "We all know Dumbledore hasn't been sitting around doing nothing since I got here; he's been biding his time, waiting to strike."

"You make him sound like Voldemort," Ron said, "Or a snake, either one. Though I suppose they're kind of the same."

Hermione frowned thoughtfully, her gaze drifting towards the Head table, where Dumbledore appeared to be deep in conversation with Professor Flitwick.

"But what's his purpose?" Hermione questioned. "Why does he want to 'strike' as you so eloquently put it?"

"He wants to know where I disappeared to after my parents died," Harry said simply, shooting Dumbledore another look, as if the elderly man could hear their discussion from halfway across the noisy hall. "We all know he doesn't buy that story about me living with Aunt Petunia and Dudley for all of those years. In fact, he has proof that I wasn't living there. Did I ever tell you that he tried to use Legilimency on me?"

"Yeah, I think I remember you mentioning it ages back…" Ron said as Hermione nodded. "It's a good thing we got all of those Occlumency lessons from your Aunt Ginny all of those years ago."

"I have a feeling that I should probably try to learn some of that," Hermione said thoughtfully, more to herself than to her two friends.

"Ron and I will teach you," Harry said determinedly. "There's no telling when Aunt Ginny, Padfoot, and Moony are going to come waltzing back into our lives; no use waiting for them. Hmm…Speaking of which, what do you think we should do about the…rat?"

As Harry hesitated over speaking that last word, Ron and Hermione both looked around themselves and made sure that no one was within hearing distance. In fact, the only people within any remote distance of them were Ron's brothers, Fred and George. As Hermione glanced at Fred, he looked away quickly and, as for George, he appeared to be innocently eating some cereal, although, by the twin's standards, he looked much _too_ innocent. Hermione just waved her suspicions away, however. They couldn't possibly have heard what Harry had said, they really weren't sitting anywhere near the trio. They just happened to be the closest to the three third years of anyone at the Gryffindor table.

"We don't know what he's planning," Hermione said, turning back to look at Harry and Ron. "So, for now, the best we can do is keep an eye out for him. If we ever see him, we might be able to formulate some idea of what he's planning."

"That shouldn't be too hard," Harry stated. "Because we know, above all else, the one thing Pettigrew is determined to do is bring me to his master."

The next few weeks flew by for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They kept a constant look out for Pettigrew the rat, and on more than one occasion there had been a false alarm, but none of them ever had an actual sighting.

As the last Hogsmeade weekend before the break came around, Harry found himself totally purging himself of any notion that his Aunt Ginny was ever going to reply to his letter. It was with great difficulty that he kept his mind from wandering to thoughts of why she had yet to send him an answer…or a reply of any kind. Although, it might have something to do with the fact that, several days after he had first sent her out, Hedwig had returned with his letter to his aunt still tied firmly around her ankle. Since then, he had routinely sent her out every few days with a new, updated letter, but the snowy owl could never find Harry's beloved aunt.

"You don't think they're going to try and stop you from going into the village, do you?" Ron asked Harry the night before the trip. "You know, what with Pettigrew still being on the loose and all of that."

"Nobody tried to stop me last time," Harry said with a shrug, looking up from the transfiguration homework he was attempting to complete.

"But last time, Sirius was the one in charge of security," Hermione pointed out, "And he was patrolling the streets, so to say, with Remus and your Aunt Ginny. And we all know that the three of them are more than capable of holding off numerous kinds of attacks. This time around, however, Dumbledore's in charge."

"You don't really think he'd try to keep me behind, do you?" Harry asked, a frown etching itself upon his face as he spoke. "He really doesn't have just cause to, anyway. He can't single me out and try to keep me behind to keep me safe. That would send the message that my safety is way more important than everyone else's."

Hermione nodded her agreement. "I can't see the Board of Governors standing for that, if they were to hear about it, even if Lucius Malfoy is no longer among their ranks."

"I'm sure he is in spirit," Ron said dryly.

Hermione laughed at that, standing up and stretching as she did so. "Well, I'm off to bed, you two. Don't stay up too late."

"Yes, mum," Harry and Ron chimed together. Once Hermione had disappeared up the girl's staircase, Ron stood up as well.

"I think sleep sounds like a great idea right about now," He said with a huge yawn. "See you tomorrow, Harry."

"'Night, Ron," Harry replied with a nod, refocusing on his Transfiguration as he did so. It might be a Friday night, but he was _so_ close to finishing. And if he finished it tonight, then he wouldn't have to worry about it Sunday, when he knew that all he would want to do then would be to relax. Ron and Hermione had had a bit of an effect on him, though, as he realized just how late it had gotten. The Common Room was practically deserted, now…And he was getting just a tad bit tired. Maybe if he rested his eyes for just a moment, he would have enough energy to finish his essay…

"Oi, Harry!" A voice hissed in Harry's ear, just as a random finger poked his shoulder. "Wake up!"

"Huh?" Harry's head shot up in a flash, startled. Looking around, he realized that it was just Fred and George. The rest of the room was totally empty. "What do you want?"

"We need to have a little chat with you, Harry, old chum, old pal," Fred, or maybe it was George, said cheerfully. Much _too_ cheerfully for the late hour.

"What about?" Harry questioned, still a bit groggy. He really couldn't think of any reason that the twins would want to speak to him.

"There's this…guy," George, or quite possibly Fred, began, "We sort of know him, and we were wondering if you knew who he was."

"Okay," Harry said, still just a tad bit confused, owing mostly to the fact how strangely formal and un-jokester-like the twins appeared to be acting. Well that and his still half-asleep state. "What's his name?"

"Well," Fred, or maybe it was…oh you get the idea, began, "We know him as Prongs. Ever heard of him?"

Harry was immediately brought to full consciousness at the sound of the old nickname. A smile spread slowly across his face as he recalled the memories of bedtime stories associated with that name.

"Yeah, I have," Harry told them. "I…used to know him."

"Really?" Fred asked, his face lighting up. "How?"

"I'll tell you, but after that, I'm going to have a few questions of my own to ask you," Harry warned them. "Prongs was the nickname given to my dad at school."

"Prongs is your _dad_?" George asked excitedly, almost falling out of his chair at the apparently shocking news. "Boy, do I really wish I was you right about now!"

"What about Padfoot?" Fred questioned suddenly. "Do you know who Padfoot was?"

"Course I do," Harry said, looking at both Fred and George with some concern written across his face. "But you two know who he _is_."

The twins just looked at him expectantly.

"Oh, come on." Harry said. "You've been around when I've talked to or addressed my godfather before."

"Sirius is Padfoot?" George asked. Harry nodded. "I knew it!"

"Told you so," Harry muttered. "And since I know it's what you're going to ask next, Moony is Remus. Any more questions before I start asking some of my own?"

"What about Wormtail?" George asked eagerly. "You didn't tell us who he really is."

"Wormtail is a person who deserves to be dead right about now," Harry stated, his expression blank.

"Care to elaborate?" Fred said. "You know, Harry, it's not very nice to wish such great harm upon your fellow human beings."

"Wormtail was the nickname given to Peter Pettigrew by his best friends in school: Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and James Potter," Harry informed them. "After breaking the Marauder's Code, however, Padfoot and Moony decreed that he lost all right to be known as Wormtail ever again."

"There's a code?" The twins asked at the same time, giving Harry slight shivers. He was also glad that they did not dwell on Pettigrew; the twins knew that he would always be a bit of a sore subject for Harry.

"Yeah…" Harry said slowly. "I think Padfoot might have a copy of it at home, somewhere. Since I'm sure you're going to ask, I'll ask him if you two can have a copy." He paused momentarily before continuing, "Now, I really am curious, how do you know about the Marauders?"

"Ah…" Fred said slowly, "We were wondering when you'd get around to that." He held a hand out in his brother's direction, "George, the Object of Extreme Importance, if you please?"

From within his robes, George pulled out what appeared to Harry to be an old bit of parchment.

"This, Harry, my young friend, is the key to all of our success over the years," Fred informed the younger boy. "Without it, we never could have achieved the vast Empire we've managed to create."

"O-_kay_…" Harry said slowly, trying his best not to let his deep concern for the twins' sanity show. "And how exactly did an extremely old-looking bit of parchment enable this for you?"

"Oh, Harry. Harry, Harry, Harry. Our young, naïve friend," George said with a shake of his head. "How very little you really do know…"

"This bit parchment is much more important than anything you've ever encountered in your entire life," Fred continued for him. "Or, at least, that's how it's been for us. But I'm sure you'd love nothing more than to follow our excellent example."

"This parchment," George picked up again, "Is a secret map. The Marauder's Map. It was created by the four marauders when they were still innocent younglings."

"Because creating a map that would aide them in their rule-breaking made them so incredibly innocent," Harry said sarcastically.

"That's the way things go in our book," George said with a shrug.

"Anyway," Fred continued, "We really had an excellent point for telling you all of this—It really wasn't all about the identities behind the names. Well, that was a huge part, but still…The point is, Harry, you've proved our deepest suspicions."

"And because of that," George said, "We want to give you this map, to love and cherish all the days of your life. As we have done, so, therefore, shall you.

"Why are you giving me the map?" Harry asked. "And what suspicions, exactly, are you talking about."

"Huh, it's like killing two birds with one stone," Fred said with a shake of his head. "You see, you: Harry James Potter, are the sole heir to the Marauders. It is your birthright to possess this map, as I'm sure you would have done if your forefathers hadn't been such excellent rule-breakers and gotten it confiscated when they were at school themselves. So, we are giving it to you, as we already stated."

"And we won't take no for an answer," George said. "It's not right for us peasants to be denied that right by a prince such as yourself."

"Well…erm…thanks, then," Harry said, a bit uncertainly, gingerly taking the map from Fred.

"To get it to work, say 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good.' And to wipe it clean again say 'Mischief Managed'," Fred told Harry, as he and his twin stood up at the exact same time.

"And with that parting note, we bid you adieu, young Master Harry," George said with a flourishing bow. "We shall see you again with the next rising of the sun."

After they had gone, Harry shook his head slightly in amusement at their antics. His attention soon turned, however, to the parchment before him. Could it really be a map created by his father, godfather, and favorite uncle? Well, there was only one way to find out…

With a wave of his wand and the muttering of the words Fred had told him, spidery black lines began to sprawl across the paper. Harry bent closer in fascination, and when the whole of the school had appeared, he discovered the true wonder of the Marauder's Map.

You could see exactly where people were in the school as you looked at the map.

It was the middle of the night, so almost everyone was in bed, presumably sleeping. However, since the parchment was quite devoid of human activity, the movement at one end of the page quickly caught Harry's eye.

On the map, there appeared to be a tunnel leading away from the Whomping Willow. And, in that tunnel, there was someone moving. A name kept pace with the footsteps leading away from the tree towards the end of the page and who knew where else. It was a name that Harry had been waiting to hear any kind of whisper about for the longest time…

_Peter Pettigrew._

**a/n-Up above a bit, Harry mentioned something called 'The Marauder's Code.' The magnificent origins of said Code can be found in the stories co-authored by myself and An-Jelly-Ca, which are posted under the pen name SiRiUsLyPiNkAnDgReEn.**

**Rewritten 8/11/12**


	25. Chapter 25

**disclaimer-I don't own Harry Potter. It would be nice though, wouldn't it?**

**Chapter Twenty Five**

"Ron…_psst_…Ron…_Ron_…wake up!"

"Wassamatter?" Ron asked groggily, sitting up in his bed.

Harry glanced at the three sleeping boys who shared the room with them and then back at Ron. "Come down to the Common Room with me, I need to show you something."

"Can't it wait 'til morning, mate?" Ron asked with a yawn even as he threw his blankets off and slowly felt around for his dressing gown and slippers.

"It's really important, Ron," Harry insisted. "And I can't get up to the Girl's Dormitories to tell Hermione."

"Why not?" Ron asked, stretching as he stood up.

"It's the _girl's_ dormitory, Ron," Harry said dryly. "Why do you think?"

"My pillow promises to answer that question in eight hours," Ron replied. "But now that I'm up, what's so important that it can't wait 'til the sun is out?"

Harry gestured for Ron to follow him, and then led the red-haired boy back down to the Common Room. Harry sat in the chair that he had vacated less than ten minutes previously, Ron taking the chair next to him. The piece of parchment that was Marauder's Map quickly made its way onto the table between the two boys.

"Fred and George gave this to me after you and Hermione went to bed," Harry informed Ron. "It's a map of Hogwarts that my dad, Padfoot, and Moony made together back when they were in school. I suppose Pettigrew may have helped as well," He added as an afterthought as he pointed his wand at the parchment. "_I solemnly swear I am up to no good._ It shows where people are in the school…and it shows secret passages."

"I always wondered how Fred and George did it all…" Ron murmured. "Gits, they didn't even tell me about this thing. But bloody hell, Harry, do you realize the stuff we could get away with, with this thing?"

"You said the same thing about my invisibility cloak," Harry replied. "But anyway, there's a bunch of stuff you can see on this map, too. And you won't believe who I saw on it."

"Did Padfoot come back?" Ron asked instantly. "And Moony?"

Harry shook his head, his expression grim. "Wormtail."

* * *

"And you're sure? You're absolutely positive?"

"For the thousandth time: yes, Hermione!"

Hermione just shook her head, the expression on her face clearly saying that she was extremely frustrated with the current situation.

"I just can't believe this!" She finally said. "I believe that you saw Pettigrew," She said swiftly as Harry opened his mouth, looking determined. "I just can't believe that Pettigrew would be so stupid to try to break into Hogwarts _again_. I mean, seriously, he couldn't get to you last time because of a _portrait_. And from what Padfoot and Moony have said he wasn't the greatest student and a barely mediocre wizard. What on earth could make him think he'd be able to break into Hogwarts and kidnap Harry Potter?"

"I'd guess Voldemort," Harry replied. "Or Bellatrix; she's always been rather insane, from what Padfoot has told me."

It was early on Saturday morning. Harry and Ron had sat up in the common room into the early hours of the morning, and had ended up falling asleep in their armchairs. It had been Hermione, coming down for an early breakfast, who had woken them up. Now, they sat in a secluded corner of the room, where Harry had had to explain several times to Hermione the events that had transpired the previous evening exactly as they had happened.

"I wish we knew where they went," Hermione whispered, knowing the two boys would know whom she was talking about. "Maybe Padfoot and Moony would know what would make Pettigrew so insane as to believe he could succeed in getting to you, Harry. Where could they have _gone_?"

Hermione's voice rose in volume with her frustration until she was practically shouting at the end of her little tirade.

"Calm down, Hermione," Ron said. "We understand; Harry and I feel the same way, Harry even more so."

"I've written Dudley a letter," Harry announced suddenly. "I had to let them know that I'd be coming directly to them for the Holidays."

"You could've come home with me, mate," Ron said. "And then mum or dad could've taken us to Grimmauld Place or even Godric's Hollow to see if there was any sign of Padfoot, Moony, or your Aunt."

"Dumbledore wouldn't have allowed it," Harry replied, sounding quite certain of himself, "Not without Padfoot here to convince him." He frowned suddenly. "I don't see how Dumbledore can even have so much control over my life when he's not even my legal guardian. And stupid Pettigrew has just made things worse by continuing to show up again and again."

"But Dumbledore doesn't know about this second appearance, does he?" Hermione theorized. "Pettigrew was in a hidden passage and the only reason you saw him, Harry, was by sheer luck. Seeing as that map was made to assist in rule breaking, I highly doubt Dumbledore has anything at all like it, or even knows of its existence. You might be able to get away with going to the Weasley's, Harry."

Harry shrugged half-heartedly. "I was going to have to go to the Dursley's at some point anyway. I did promise Aunt Petunia and Dudley I would visit over Christmas. And maybe I can convince her to stop by Grimmauld Place on the way back to Little Whinging, too. Dudley's always wanted to see it…"

"And I can try and stop by the house in Godric's Hollow while I'm visiting _my_ Aunt," Hermione added in. "It'll be worth it to get out of that stuffy house, too."

"Well that sounds like a plan," Ron said, glancing down at his watch as he spoke. "Now, seeing as there's nothing we can do about Pettigrew for now, why don't we all go down to breakfast and then to Hogsmeade? I need to get in some last-minute Christmas shopping."

"You always put everything off until last minute," Harry said with a roll of his eyes as the trio stood up. "That's not healthy, you know."

"And I'm sure you're all done with your shopping, are you, Harry?" Hermione questioned him.

"Erm…maybe…maybe not." Harry replied slowly, looking a tad sheepish. "But I _meant_ to put it off," he was quick to add.

"Yes, I'm sure," Hermione said dryly.

"Well, are you all done with everything, then?" Harry demanded of her.

"I've already gotten presents for everyone," Hermione replied easily. "I just wanted to pick something extra up for my mum and dad. Last time we went to Hogsmeade I saw these self-flossing string mints I thought they'd like."

"You're punctuality in getting gifts for others disgusts me," Ron informed her, his tone and expression both completely serious.

After a quick breakfast, the trio made their way down to the village after being cleared by Mr. Filch. As they wandered the streets, Harry thought back to the last time they had been there. After two whole months in school, Harry had still been upset with his aunt for not telling him that Remus was going to be teaching at Hogwarts. So Harry, Ron, and Hermione had spent the entire day trying to avoid Sirius, Remus, and Ginny as they roamed the village. But now, with no idea where his surrogate family was, Harry would give just about anything to go back to that day so he could see them again.

"It's not that Hogsmeade isn't a very interesting place to be, with lots of things to do," Ron began quite suddenly, "But somehow, it was more fun last time when we had to keep dodging your aunt, Harry."

"I was just thinking the same thing," Harry replied.

"You do still both have gifts to get, you know," Hermione reminded the pair, trying to find a distraction for them. "Who all do you need to buy presents for, Ron?"

"Um…" Ron furrowed his eyebrows. "Let's see, there's mum…dad…ooh, I've been meaning to pick something up for Charlie, and Bill, too. Oh, and then there was that sugar quill Percy had his eye on last Hogsmeade visit; I thought I'd get it for him. Then I've got to get something for Fred and George, as well. And Ginny, too!"

"So basically you've got to buy presents for your entire family?" Hermione questioned. "Have you done any Christmas shopping at all, Ronald?"

"Yes," Ron said reproachfully. "I got _your_ present ages ago. Oh yeah, I've got to get you something too, Harry."

Hermione sighed heavily. "This is going to take a while…"

* * *

"Hiya Harry!" Dudley greeted his dark-haired cousin enthusiastically as soon as he crossed the barrier from platform 9 ¾ back into the muggle world, ready to begin Christmas break. "Did you miss me?"

"He's cried himself to sleep every night since September, that's how much he missed you," Ron spoke up before Harry could open his mouth to reply, as the redhead stepped out of the barrier directly behind his friend.

"That means a lot, you know, Harry," Dudley said with a wide smile.

"Hi Aunt Petunia," Harry said brightly, totally ignoring his cousin and turning to his aunt instead. "Thanks so much for picking me up. Have you been drugging your son?"

"It's all part of being a family, Harry," Petunia replied. "Now, have you got all of your things?" Harry nodded. "Well then we should be going, it's a bit of a drive back."

Harry turned to Ron and Hermione, who were both standing beside him. "See you after break."

"Happy Christmas, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck briefly.

"What she said, mate," Ron told him. "Have fun."

Harry turned to go, then spotted Ginny standing behind her older brother. "Merry Christmas, Ginny!" He called over his shoulder, causing the younger redhead's face to turn bright red. He quickly caught up with Dudley, he kept up a steady stream of information of just about everything that had been going on in his life since the pair had last seen each other. Most of it Harry already knew from letters, but he knew that Dudley was just stopping himself from asking the questions of his cousin that he knew Harry couldn't answer in such a public place. That no longer applied, however, once they were safely in Aunt Petunia's car.

"Why'd you ask to stay with us the whole break, Harry?" Dudley asked immediately. "What about your Aunt Ginny and all them? Don't you want to see them?"

"Well, you are my family, Dud, why _wouldn't_ I want to spend time with you?" Harry replied sweetly.

"Uh…_dad_." Dudley said, as if this was the obvious answer.

"Minor details," Harry said with a wave of his hand. "But anyway, Aunt Ginny, Padfoot, and Moony all went somewhere and I haven't seen or heard from them in almost two months."

"Oh dear, I hope they're all alright," Aunt Petunia said, looking concerned. "I wish there was something we could do, but I'm sure you've tried contacting them already."

Harry nodded. "Funny you should say that, though. I was wondering if you could stop by Grimmauld Place—you know, Padfoot's house here in London—to see if there's any sign of them at all."

Aunt Petunia glanced at her watch. "No, I don't think that would be a problem at all."

"Yes!" Dudley said excitedly, "Finally, I get to see the inside of a real wizard's house."

"You've seen Aunt Ginny's house at Godric's Hollow," Harry reminded him as Aunt Petunia changed their course.

"But that was just a normal house. You've told me what kind of wizards your godfather's family was. It'll be so different."

"Well, if dark magic is what you're into…" Harry said with a shrug.

"No son of mine cares a thing about dark magic," Aunt Petunia stated immediately.

"'Course not, mum," Dudley said easily.

The rest of the car ride was spent in silence until, finally, Aunt Petunia pulled the car into Grimmauld Place.

"Are you both going to come in with me?" Harry asked his aunt and cousin.

"I think I'll sit this one out and let you boys go on your own," Aunt Petunia replied. "I feel a bit like having a nap now, anyway."

"You have fun with that, mum," Dudley said brightly, following his cousin out of the car.

The two boys slowly approached the dark house…well, Harry approached it slowly. Dudley couldn't see it at all, and therefore followed Harry, matching his slow pace. Harry came to a quite sudden halt just in front of number 12.

"The house is under something called the Fidelius Charm," Harry explained to his cousin. "Which means that someone called a Secret Keeper is the only person who knows where the house is. You can only see the house if the Secret Keeper tells you where it is. I'm not the Secret Keeper, Aunt Ginny is. But I'm pretty sure that I can just lead you into the house; that _should _work."

"Should?" Dudley questioned, the uncertainty in his cousin's tone making him nervous.

"Just shut your eyes and trust me," Harry replied, grabbing Dudley's arm.

Still walking slowly, just in case he was wrong about being able to bring Dudley into the house, Harry led his cousin up the front steps. And, after a tap of his wand, in through the front door. Back in the car, Aunt Petunia's eyes were drifting shut, but they flew wide open when she saw both boys disappear into midair with no warning. Shrugging to herself, she settled back into her seat; she never had understood her sister's world.

Meanwhile, inside of the house, Dudley made to open his mouth, but Harry hurriedly slapped his hand over his cousin's mouth, gesturing with his other hand for Dudley to keep quiet. He then silently led the way down the hall and into the passage leading towards the basement kitchen. Once the door was safely shut behind them, Harry removed his hand from Dudley's mouth.

"Sirius's mother doesn't like to be disturbed," Harry informed his cousin.

"I thought his mum was dead?" Dudley said, mystified.

"Insane portrait."

"Oh…"

Looking around the kitchen now, Harry saw that it was impeccably cleaned. It didn't quite have a lived-in feeling, but Harry could tell that Kreacher had been through here quite recently. With that thought, Harry had a sudden idea.

"Kreacher?" Harry called in a loud voice. "Can you come here?"

With a loud crack, the old house-elf appeared in front of Harry.

"Master Harry, sir!" The elf cried. "Kreacher was thinking that the masters and mistress all abandoned him forever. The mistress left ages ago and never came back. And Master Sirius promised Kreacher he would be home for Christmas, but he hasn't come yet."

"So, you haven't seen Aunt Ginny or Sirius or Remus?" Harry asked downhearted. Kreacher shook his head. "Neither have I. I was hoping that at the very least Aunt Ginny might have left something here explaining what was going on."

Kreacher's eyes widened suddenly, and he turned to the kitchen table, which was piled high with what Harry guessed was every copy of the Daily Prophet since the last time Kreacher had had company in this house.

"Kreacher found a note, Master Harry, sir," Kreacher told Harry. "It had Master Harry's name on it. Kreacher found it when he cleaned Mistress Ginny's room last week. Kreacher wanted to wait until Mistress came home, but then Kreacher thought Mistress would be pleased with Kreacher for keeping the house clean while she was gone."

"Where is the note now, Kreacher?" Harry asked.

"Kreacher will get it for Master Harry," Kreacher replied, trotting over to the kitchen table and deftly pulling an envelope out from under a stack of newspapers. He handed it to Harry. "Your letter, Master Harry."

As soon as Kreacher handed Harry the letter, the dark-haired boy couldn't explain the feeling he felt. He could no longer quell the hope rising in his chest. Finally, he was going to get some answers.

**a/n-Just a bit of an explanation: I know Kreacher was really devoted to Mrs. Black and I really couldn't picture him calling anyone other than her 'Mistress' but I couldn't think of anything else for him to call Ginny. Also, with the change of heart he's had about Sirius, I think it would be reasonable to that he would no longer consider Ginny to be a blood-traitor. Hope you liked the chapter!**

**Rewritten 8/11/12**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty Six**

_November 7, 1993_

_Dear Harry,_ the letter began in Ginny's handwriting,

_I'm so sorry to be doing this to you again. I know I promised that I wouldn't disappear off the face of the earth and stop answering your letters again, but I'm afraid things just keep happening that I can't control. I know you're probably going to be upset when I don't reply to the letters that you will most likely be sending me until my return, so I'll try to explain as much as I can here._

_Sirius showed up here last night with your news about Pettigrew and the two of us spent several hours discussing what could be done about it. I'm afraid that we've come to the conclusion that we need to leave. We aren't going to be leaving forever; we are just searching for something…some things. Unfortunately, that's all I can say here. Even though this letter is going to remain in Grimmauld Place until you undoubtedly come searching for me there, I just can't disclose any information about where we're going._

_The important thing, however, is that we _will_ come back, Harry. We're going to pick Remus up tonight from Hogwarts, but all three of us are going to return. We just can't say for sure when that will be. But when we do come back, I promise I will explain everything to you, Harry, about why we had to leave._

_Until then you will be safe at Hogwarts. Or, at least, you'll be safe from Pettigrew. If things go the way they did last time, you won't meet with him face-to-face until the end of the school year, and I intend to be back by then. In fact, I want to be home by Christmas, but I can't promise you anything there._

_Since you'll be on your own at Hogwarts, I want you to be extra careful around Dumbledore; he's going to be even more watchful now that Sirius and Remus are both gone. Obviously you're going to come to Grimmauld Place looking for me, and that can't be helped. But on the plus side, it has been successfully hidden with the Fidelius Charm, so there really shouldn't be any worries about Dumbledore finding out about it. If we aren't back by the time you return to school, though, you need to be on your guard. However, you've handled yourself extremely well around him for the past two and a half years, and I'm confident that you'll be just fine without Sirius and Remus watching your back for you._

_Again, Harry, please don't be angry about the letter; it really was the only way. And I really and truly do promise I'll explain everything once I've returned._

_All my love,_

_Aunt Ginny_

_PS—You're much too young to be thinking about girls, so don't even think about getting a date for the Hogsmeade visit over the Valentine's Day weekend if I'm not back in time to say this to your face. I don't care what Sirius may have told you concerning anything; I'm still in charge of you._

"Well?" Dudley finally demanded, too impatient to wait for Harry to speak first and acknowledge he was done reading. "What does it say?"

"Pretty much nothing," Harry replied, lowering the letter and looking up at his cousin with a slightly frustrated expression. "Basically, Aunt Ginny says that she's going to look for 'something' with Padfoot and Moony and that she'll explain everything once she comes back, which is some indefinite time in the future."

"Huh," Was all Dudley could say, for lack of a more succinct response.

"Yeah, I know. It really helps a lot," Harry said with a shake of his head, refolding the letter and replacing it in its envelope. "Guess this means I'll be staying with you guys for the entire break."

"Cool," Dudley said. "It'll be just like over the summer…but in winter."

Harry laughed. "Nice one, Dud, really. I think that's kind of obvious."

"Oi, Potter, no making fun of me," Dudley informed his cousin, mock-menacingly. "I'm older and bigger than you."

"Not by that much," Harry replied cheekily. "Besides, I'm a wizard."

"Who's underage and can't use magic outside of school," Dudley retorted. "Therefore, I win."

"I'm not sure how long Aunt Ginny and Sirius are going to be away for, Kreacher," Harry promptly turned his attention back towards the aging house elf, who was still standing before the two boys, effectively ending his conversation with his cousin. "And I'm going to be spending Christmas with my Aunt Petunia and my elderly cousin, over there, at their house. So I suppose it's just going to be you here by yourself until Aunt Ginny returns, whenever that might be."

"Very good, Master Harry," Kreacher replied. "Kreacher shall continue to clean Grimmauld Place until the Mistress returns."

"You could always take a break, you know, Kreacher, if you wanted to," Harry informed the elf, his brows furrowed. "Take a vacation or something."

"Kreacher lives to serve the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black," Kreacher replied, sounding highly affronted. "Kreacher shall continue to clean Grimmauld Place."

"Well, okay, if that's what you want," Harry said, easily accepting a swift defeat; this was not an argument he ever had a hope of winning. He turned back to Dudley now. "I suppose we should get going now so that Aunt Petunia doesn't start to get worried about what we're doing in here."

"Do we _have_ to?" Dudley demanded. "Can't we explore a bit in here, first? This house looks so cool."

"I'll invite you over sometime in the summer," Harry replied, grabbing his cousin's arm and beginning to drag him out of the kitchen. "See ya' when school ends, Kreacher!" He called back over his shoulder.

The boys retreated rather quickly from the house after that, and once they were outside the two cousins began talking animatedly about how they were going to spend their break together. Once they had gotten back into the car and woken Petunia up from her nap, causing her to threaten to not give them any presents for Christmas, they began their journey to Little Whinging.

For the next week, Harry and Dudley pretty much did exactly as Dudley had predicted they would, spending much of their time together like they did in the summer, but in winter this time. They played the video games Harry remembered Dudley had gotten for his birthday, Harry met a few of Dudley's friends from school, and the two boys theorized what on earth Uncle Vernon could be doing with all of the time he spent avoiding Harry.

Soon enough it was Christmas Eve, and Harry, Dudley, and Petunia spent a majority of the day in the kitchen baking cookies. Harry went to bed that night hoping that by some miracle his Aunt Ginny, Sirius, and Remus would all make it back in time so that they could all be together the next day. He woke up the next morning to the sound of Dudley bursting into his room at the crack of dawn.

"Wake up Harry! It's Christmas!" Dudley shouted, reminiscent of Sirius though not quite as ear-shatteringly loud. "Time to open presents!"

Harry groggily opened one eye and contemplated going back to sleep, despite the holiday. He thought that perhaps with Sirius' absence he could get away with it, but apparently he had underestimated his cousin. One second he was nice and cozy underneath his blankets, the next second they'd been ripped off of him.

"Get up Harry," Dudley said sweetly, standing next to Harry's bed now, with the black-haired boy's missing sheets in hand. "Or else I'll tell Dad to invite Aunt Marge over for tea tomorrow."

"I'm up," Harry said, on his feet in a flash. He turned to the desk beside his bed and felt around on it for his glasses before jamming them on his face. "See? All set; let's go open some presents."

It took about fifteen minutes for the two boys to unwrap all of the various presents they had received, resulting in Aunt Petunia cheerfully complaining it had taken her more than twice as long as that to wrap most of them in the first place. Dudley had laughed at that, but Harry could only give his Aunt a small grin. After opening every single package with his name on it, Harry felt the festive cheer slowly leaving him. Aunt Ginny hadn't sent a present.

That could mean any one of a hundred things, however. She had said in her letter that she wouldn't be able to send more letters; it wasn't safe. Harry knew it really wasn't worth the risk for him to get a Christmas present. He still would have liked one, though. It would have made him feel as if he wasn't totally cut off from the woman who had raised him. His own present for his aunt was locked up in his school trunk because he hadn't known where to send it.

Just then, Dudley stood up and began following his mother into the kitchen, where his father was already seated at the table. Harry hadn't been paying attention, but it was probably time for breakfast now. As he stood, he made a mental note to try and find some time during the day when his Uncle Vernon wasn't around in order to give his Aunt and cousin their real Christmas presents. Harry had decided to only give each of them a bag of Honeydukes' finest chocolates when they were all opening presents, so as not to upset his Uncle due to the magical properties of his other gifts. As it was, Uncle Vernon had stalked off to the kitchen when Harry had opened his presents from Ron and Hermione. Ron's had been accompanied by the usual hand-knitted sweater and assortment of candy from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

The rest of the day went pretty much the same way all of Harry's Christmas' had gone. After a small breakfast, he and Dudley cleaned up the wrapping paper that had been strewn around the front room in their haste to open all of their presents while Aunt Petunia made Christmas dinner. Uncle Vernon had retreated upstairs to the privacy of the bedroom he shared with Aunt Petunia in order to call his sister, Marge, who would be arriving the next day for a visit and staying through New Year's Day. Harry sincerely hoped he wouldn't have to stay for her entire visit.

After dinner, Harry and Dudley opened some of Dudley's new computer games and played them until Aunt Petunia told them it was past time they were in bed. Ten minutes later, as Harry was getting into bed, he couldn't help but notice that Hedwig's cage was empty. He didn't allow that to worry him, though, as he took his glasses off and lay back on his bed. Harry figured she'd left to go hunting; Hedwig would probably be back by morning.

What he didn't notice, however, was that his bedroom window—Hedwig's normal mode of entering and exiting the room—was closed and locked.

**Rewritten 8/11/12**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

When Harry next opened his eyes, he initially thought he'd woken up so early the sun wasn't up yet due to the fact that his room was so dark. And he was correct, partially. After jamming his glasses onto his face, he glanced at the clock beside his bed and discovered that it was just past one in the morning. So why was he awake?

He considered just taking his glasses off and going back to sleep, but now that he was awake, he was rather thirsty. Slowly, he sat up in his bed and swung his legs onto the floor.

"It's about time you woke up," A voice cut through the darkness, causing Harry to fall back onto his bed in surprise, and possibly a little bit of fright. "Do you have any idea how long I've been sitting here? It's seriously cutting into my beauty sleep time. My hair may never recover."

Harry squinted through the darkness. He knew that voice…

"Sirius?" Harry questioned cautiously. "Is that you?"

"No, I'm a mirage," Sirius' voice came through the darkness.

"That only works if I can actually see you," Harry replied, a grin spreading across his face.

"Smart ass," Sirius muttered under his breath, flicking the light switch to 'on' thus temporarily blinding Harry with the sudden brightness.

When the boy's vision cleared, he was met with the sight of his godfather for the first time in more than a month. The older man's hair was an inch longer than it had been before, but his face was still clean-shaven. There were dark shadows under his eyes, showing that he probably hadn't had a good night's sleep since leaving Hogwarts. But otherwise he was still the same Sirius Black that Harry had known his entire life and had worried about for the past month and a half. And now he was sitting in Harry's room at the Dursley's. Sirius had moved Harry's desk chair so that he was seated in front of the door and directly beside the light switch.

"Are Aunt Ginny and Remus here, too?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Who needs them?" Sirius said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "You've got me."

"Oh," Harry said shortly, crestfallen.

"Good grief! What kind of teenager _are_ you?" Sirius demanded. "Is this really what happens when you're out of my wonderful presence for extended periods of time? When I was your age, you never saw me so eager to see my parents."

"You and your parents hated each other by the time you were a teenager," Harry stated.

"A minor detail," Sirius said with another wave of his hand, "And Ginny and Remus are making themselves comfortable in the sitting room downstairs."

"You couldn't have mentioned that sooner?" Harry demanded, standing up immediately.

"Some godson you are," Sirius muttered, standing up as well, but only resting his hand on the chair, which was still blocking the door. "I knew you liked them better than me."

Harry rolled his eyes. "'Course I'm glad to see you, Padfoot. But clearly I'm seeing you right now and not them. If I could see you all at the same time of course I'd like you the best."

"You say that now…"

"And clearly we'll test what I'm saying in just a few minutes," Harry began, "Just as soon as you move this chair out of the way and let me out of my room."

As soon as Sirius had proceeded to move the chair for his godson, Harry was out the door and running down the stairs and through the hall in as quiet a manner as possible in his haste to see the other two most important adults in his life.

"Aunt Ginny!" Harry exclaimed, though softly, so as not to wake his sleeping aunt, uncle, and cousin just a floor above, once he had reached the sitting room. "Remus! You're back!

Ginny was seated on the couch sipping a cup of tea and Remus was in the armchair, flipping through Vernon's paper. They both looked up when Harry entered the room and smiled at him. He could see that they also looked just as tired as Sirius did.

"Hi Harry," Ginny said softly. "I see Sirius hasn't prevented you from coming to see us."

"It was a close call," Harry said, giving first Remus and hug and then Ginny before sitting beside his aunt on the couch. "I was worried for a second there."

"I knew we shouldn't have let him be the one to go get Harry," Remus said, tossing the newspaper back onto the coffee table in front of him.

"Hello, I am standing right here you know," Sirius said, walking over to the couch and sitting on Harry's other side.

"Clearly you're sitting right now, though," Remus informed him.

"And speaking of you sitting here," Harry began swiftly, cutting Sirius off as he opened his mouth to reply, "Why are you here, in general? It's one in the morning. I don't know what you've been up to, but clearly you could all use some sleep."

"We're used to it," Ginny replied. "Besides, we wanted to see you. And, we figured you'd be just the tiniest bit upset when Sirius inevitably mentioned that we got back to London last night and didn't immediately come to see you. So we came straight here."

"Well, when we say we came straight here," Sirius began, blatantly ignoring Ginny's comments about him, "We of course mean that we first came here and then went to London and then came back here."

"Why'd you do that?" Harry questioned, slightly confused. "What was the point of coming then leaving and then coming back?"

"We…ahem, well, we stole your owl," Sirius replied. "I'm not entirely sure if you noticed or not that Hedwig was gone. We had a bit of a job for her."

"Oh…that explains why my window was locked and it wasn't freezing in my room," Harry said, realization dawning on him. "I did notice that Hedwig was gone, but I just figured that she'd gone hunting. It didn't even register that the window was closed until just now."

"You're even more oblivious than your father was about your mother hating him when we were younger," Remus commented.

"Actually, you're more oblivious than Remus was when he realized he was in love with his best friend," Sirius informed Harry.

"I wasn't oblivious about Dorcas," Remus retorted. "You lot were all oblivious about the two of us dating for more than a month. Well, everyone except Lily and Marlene, whom, I might add, you totally denied your obvious infatuation with." **(1)**

"Hang on a second." Harry said suddenly, interrupting the brewing argument between the two old friends about people Harry had, for whatever reason, never even heard of. "Why'd you use Hedwig? What about Aunt Ginny's owl?"

"We were already here," Ginny explained. "And _apparently_," Here she looked pointedly at Sirius and rolled her eyes, "Since we'd have to go back to London anyway to get money from Grimmauld Place, we might as well just take Hedwig with us, rather than use my owl, who was already at our destination. Completely logical, I know," She finished sarcastically.

"I take it you weren't the one to come up with this plan," Harry said to Ginny.

"Definitely not. However," Ginny continued, a more serious expression coming over her face, "I was the one who thought up the plan that took us away from you for nearly two months, which I am sorry about. Did you get my letter from Grimmauld Place?"

Harry nodded. "Aunt Petunia took Dudley and I there when she picked me up from King's Cross last week."

"Then I suppose it's about time we explained some things to you Harry," Ginny said. "You know as well as I do, Harry, that Voldemort isn't really gone; he's going to come back one day. Years ago, I'm not really sure how long exactly, he began preparing for the day he might possibly die. To ensure that a piece of him would live on, Voldemort created something called a Horcrux. A Horcrux is an object that is enchanted to hold a part of a person's soul, but the only way to separate your own soul is by killing another person. Voldemort, however, made several such objects—you've destroyed one already: Riddle's diary."

"These Horcruxes," Remus picked up from where Ginny left off, "Are the only things keeping Voldemort from being destroyed once and for all. For the past two months, we've been working on trying to find some of those Horcruxes."

"You've mentioned Horcruxes before," Harry said slowly, his eyes screwed up in concentration, trying to remember the conversation. "It was when we first moved into Grimmauld Place, something about a locket and Kreacher and Sirius' brother."

"You're right," Ginny said with a small smile, "I'd almost forgotten about that conversation entirely. Actually, the locket in question was a decoy Horcrux. The real one was in the drawing room of Grimmauld Place for all these years."

"There was a…a piece of Voldemort's _soul_ in the _drawing room_ for years?" Harry demanded incredulously. "Just sitting there? Why?"

"That's where Kreacher hid it," Ginny said with a shrug. "And since there wasn't anyone living in Grimmauld Place for all that time, there really wasn't a pressing need to destroy it. Kreacher didn't know what it was, so he wasn't about to go give it to anyone. If anything, he probably would have kept it if anyone had come around or tried to throw it out, even, because it was a connection to Regulus. Besides," She continued sheepishly, "I didn't exactly have any way to destroy it. In fact, I still don't, technically."

"You need basilisk venom." Harry said suddenly, more of their conversation a year and a half ago coming back to him now. "You said that could destroy a Horcrux."

"That's one thing that could do it." Ginny conceded. "Dark magic's another, but I wasn't about to use it for something like that. Apparently the Sword of Gryffindor can destroy Horcruxes as well, but I haven't got one handy. Once you go back to school and Sirius and Remus are there again, you can open the Chamber back up and get some basilisk teeth."

"Sounds like fun," Harry commented dryly. "Would you like me to steal the Sword of Gryffindor as well?"

"Not at all," Ginny said patronizingly. "We'll be just fine with those teeth. After all, the only reason the sword can destroy Horcruxes is because it is imbued with basilisk venom?"

"Huh?" Came Harry's succinct response.

"Think back to the end of last year," Remus spoke up here. "You used the Sword of Gryffindor to kill the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets; you stabbed it using the sword. Now, the sword has several special properties, one of which is absorbing only that which will make it stronger, which is exactly what the basilisk venom has done."

"Huh," Harry said again. Then, "So, did you find any other Horcruxes while you were gone that need to be destroyed?"

"We did," Ginny replied.

"Where?" Harry asked.

"It took a lot of research—" Remus began, but was promptly cut off.

"And going through old Ministry of Magic records," Sirius added in. "Dusty Ministry records, that may or may not have caused permanent damage to my hair. In the middle of the night, which may or may not have been the beginning of the disturbance of my beauty sleep, further damaging my hair in addition to my dashing good looks."

"—But we managed to find Voldemort's…well, I suppose you could call it his ancestral home," Remus continued, ignoring Sirius. "Actually, we found both of them. No one's lived in either of them for years."

"Just wait until this summer," Ginny said. "If Pettigrew gets away like last time, we'll know exactly where Voldemort will be this summer."

"This summer?" Harry repeated, his eyes wide. "We—I'm not going to have to go up against him already, am I?"

"Of course not," Ginny replied swiftly. "You're nowhere near ready yet, and with only one Horcrux destroyed, it would be kind of useless."

"But at least we'll be down three soon," Harry said, sounding relieved. "Just how many did he make, exactly?"

Ginny bit her lip. "I'm not entirely sure…In my time, you were the one who told me about them, and Dumbledore had been the one to tell you. Voldemort wanted to make seven, but we don't know for sure if he actually managed it. He—Well, he was going to use your death to make his seventh Horcrux."

"And we'd only be down two, actually," Remus added in. "It took us forever to track this Horcrux down, but we ultimately decided to leave it there for the time being. Since Voldemort might end up in the area in just a few months, he might decide to check up on this piece of his soul. We don't want to tip him off that we know about his Horcruxes."

"So the three of you were just gone for two months for pretty much nothing?" Harry asked.

"Not nothing." Ginny contradicted. "At least we know where this Horcrux is, now. That's more than we can say about the others. We don't even know what some of them are for sure, yet."

"Then how are we going to find them all?" Harry asked, stifling a yawn.

"We'll find them when we find them," Ginny said resolutely. "It's going to take quite a bit more research into Voldemort's early life, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, you need to get back to bed. We'll come by first thing in the morning to pick you up."

"Oh good," Harry said with another yawn, very tired all of a sudden. "Uncle Vernon's sister Marge is coming over tomorrow; I'm so glad I don't have to stay for that." He stood up now, and was about to make his way out of the room and back upstairs, when Sirius spoke up.

"Clearly we need to get some priorities straightened out first, though," Sirius said with an almost deadly calm, looking pointedly at Harry. "We'll start with you, young Mr. Potter. Am I your favorite again yet?"

**a/n- (1)-go read the stories co-authored by An-Jelly-Ca and myself under the pen name SiRiUsLyPiNkAnDgReEn**

**Originally Posted 8/12/10**

**Rewritten 8/11/12**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N—This is real life, people. After 731 days, I finally have an update for you—or at least for those of you who have not died of old age during the long wait. All I can say is that I no longer hate this story with a burning passion, which was quite possibly the reason for the long delay.**

**Just a few things before you finally get to read this chapter. I've gone back and edited the story a bit; mostly just spelling/grammar errors and other typos and general minor mistakes. A bit more detail was given in some instances, but the story hasn't changed. Please try to be patient with me as I try to get back in the habit of actually writing this story. It's been two years and, in that time, I haven't had another story quite like it—a.k.a. a story of actual substance with ridiculously long chapters. Hopefully updates will now be much quicker than every 2 years, though. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

Although Harry quite positively adored Hogwarts and all of the mysteries and adventures waiting to be discovered within her walls, he found himself not wanting to return after the Christmas Holiday for the remainder of his third year.

"You aren't going to disappear again, are you?" Harry asked his aunt, a worried expression upon his face. "I mean, I totally understand why you didn't answer any of my letters last year, now. And it was obviously for a good reason that you, Remus, and Sirius left last term. But…it isn't going to happen again the rest of this year, is it?"

"No," Ginny replied slowly, glancing over at Harry. "I think the rest of this school year will be spent doing research. Like I already told you: there's a lot about Voldemort's life we don't know that could clue us in on possible locations for his Horcruxes—whatever objects they might turn out to be. Plus, it'll be an especially large workload because Remus will be with you at Hogwarts."

"And Sirius won't?" Harry was quick to question.

"He will," Ginny replied with a grin. "But let's be realistic here, how much help with research do you really think Sirius is going to be? Especially after all of the complaining he did last time."

Harry couldn't help but grin in response. He relaxed back into his seat, comforted a bit by what his aunt had had to say. They were in the car on their way to King's Cross Station and Harry was determined that this term would be better than his last. Well…except for one thing…

"And what about Pettigrew?" Harry asked. "Should I be worried about any more appearances from him?"

"I've filled Sirius and Remus both in on everything you'll need to know," Ginny replied. She hadn't had time to tell Harry because the surrogate family of four had been attempting to enjoy the short week they had together before everyone left Ginny for Hogwarts once more. "And I've made it quite clear to both of them exactly what they should tell you. Things will work out for the best, Harry. I'm sure of it."

"Do you promise?" Harry asked her as she pulled into a parking space outside of the station.

Ginny was silent as the car came to a halt and she turned the engine off. Finally, she turned so that she was fully facing her young charge.

"You know I can't do that, Harry, no matter how much I would like to," Ginny told him. "I really would like nothing more than for the rest of your life to go smoothly, with no interference from any kind of dark wizards."

"But that isn't going to happen," Harry finished for her.

"No," Ginny agreed, "It isn't."

Ginny turned away from Harry just in time to see that Sirius had just exited the station and was making his way towards their parked car. Quickly, she turned back to Harry.

"You can do your best to try to make it happen, though," She told him. "Just try to be normal, enjoy Quidditch, live your life. Pay attention in school, be a good friend to all who need it."

"Even Malfoy?" Harry questioned sarcastically.

"There's an exception to everything," Ginny allowed. "But it wouldn't hurt to try to be his friend, even though I already know it won't go anywhere."

"We'll just give that up as a lost cause, then," Harry said decisively, finally unbuckling his seatbelt. He had just noticed Sirius, who was just about at the car by this time. Suddenly, he reached across the car and threw his arms around Ginny in a quick hug, pulling away before she had a chance to really react. "Bye, Aunt Ginny. I'll miss you."

And without another word, Harry had exited the car and made his way over to where Sirius was waiting for him. With one last wave, the pair disappeared back into the station, off to collect Harry's trunk from wherever Sirius had most likely abandoned it when he had arrived there earlier in the morning.

Ginny sat there for several moments after they had both left her sight. For as much as she really did think that Harry would be prepared the next time he and Pettigrew crossed paths, she still worried. Ginny was afraid that she was taking the wrong approach in all of this. Although she had a general idea of what to expect, she also knew that there was no real guarantee that things would turn out the same way they had when she was growing up.

And of course, even if things _had_ stayed the same, Ginny really had no way of knowing exactly _how_ everything was supposed to turn out. She had never truly been a part of Harry Potter's inner circle, so to say. She honestly couldn't say that she knew everything he had when it had come time for him to finally face off with Voldemort. And this scared Ginny.

Ginny had been brought back to the past for one reason, above all others: to save Harry Potter's life. There were no two ways about it. In her time, Harry Potter had not survived and she was here now to make sure that didn't happen again. The first step was to correct Dumbledore's earliest mistakes, which she had clearly already accomplished. But the next thing for her to do was to prepare Harry where Dumbledore had failed him. And she would do it. Ginny, Remus, and Sirius had gotten off to an excellent start, having already located one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. She knew that she didn't know everything that went on in her own timeline, but continued research would bring her closer to the truth.

Ginny Weasley was determined.

She smiled slightly to herself at this thought. Yes, she would make sure that Harry succeeded this time around. She would be prepared for anything that life (be it Destiny or Fate) might throw in his path. And, naturally, the first step to accomplishing that would be to continue on with her research.

With a small nod to herself, Ginny restarted the ignition. Yes, back to Grimmauld Place and more research it was. And as she drove away from King's Cross, there was just one final thought Ginny mulled over in her head…

Hermione liked research. Why couldn't Destiny have sent _Hermione_ back in time _with_ Ginny?

* * *

Ron was unsurprised to find Hermione sitting by herself in the very last compartment on the Hogwarts Express. It wasn't at all like her to make things easy for other people.

"I should have known when I didn't find you right away that you'd be all the way down here," Ron informed her by way of a greeting as he slid the door to the compartment open.

Hermione looked up from her book, a bemused expression upon her face. "Of course you should have known. We always sit in this compartment."

"Do we really?" Ron questioned, his brow furrowed as he stored his luggage in the overhead compartment. "I hadn't noticed…"

"Boys…" Hermione muttered under her breath, placing her bookmark in between the pages of her book to keep her place before shutting it and placing it on the empty seat beside her. "You're all oblivious…"

Ron merely shook his head at this and chose to change the subject. "So, did you hear from Harry at all over break?"

Hermione shook her head. "And I managed to sneak off to Ginny's cottage in Godric's Hollow once, while we were visiting my aunt. There was no sign of them there."

"It's a bit odd that all three of them have been gone for so long without so much as a word to Harry," Ron said decisively, taking the seat across from the bushy-haired girl.

"I'm sure they have their reasons," Hermione said. "Besides, for all we know, Harry was able to find something out about their absence and he just couldn't get word to us."

Ron shrugged. "If he ever gets here then we'll be able to ask him."

"Ask who what?" As if on cue, Harry appeared in the open doorway that Ron had forgotten to shut behind him. The black-haired boy was pulling his trunk behind him.

"Harry!" Hermione greeted the final member of their trio happily as Ron got back to his feet to assist the other boy with his luggage. "How was your holiday? Did you find anything out? Ron and I were worried when neither of us heard from you."

"Sorry about that," Harry said sheepishly, sitting beside Ron after the pair had stowed his trunk. "I…er…did find a letter from Aunt Ginny in Grimmauld Place when I got Aunt Petunia to stop there on the way home for the holiday. But it didn't really tell me anything!" He was quick to add once he caught a glimpse of the incredulous expressions upon his friends' faces. "Pretty much just that the three of them had to leave and that she couldn't trust that a letter—even one left in Grimmauld Place—wouldn't be intercepted, so she didn't tell me anything about where they had gone or what they were doing."

"So you spent the whole holiday at the Dursley's, then?" Ron questioned.

"Er…no," Harry said shortly. "You see…well, Ginny, Sirius, and Remus turned up on Privet Drive on Christmas night."

"And you didn't think to write to us to let us know that they were still alive?" Hermione demanded.

"Er…no," Harry said once again.

"You have positively horrid communication skills," Hermione informed her friend.

"This is true," Harry said agreeably. "I can tell you all about it right now, though, if you'd like."

"I think we would like that," Ron told him. "Seeing as we—or at least I—spent pretty much my whole time at home worrying that your family was lying dead at the bottom of a ditch somewhere."

"That's a bit overdramatic, don't you think?" Harry questioned.

"It's best to be prepared for anything," Ron said with a shrug. "But go on, tell us: where did they go? What were they doing?"

"Horcruxes," Harry stated simply. "They were doing research on Horcruxes that Voldemort may have made, and apparently they found one."

"Did they destroy it?" Hermione asked eagerly.

Harry shook his head. "Apparently Voldemort might be in the same area that it's hidden in sometime soon—"

"What?!" Ron interrupted, but Harry shrugged.

"Don't ask me for more information than that," Harry informed him. "All Aunt Ginny told me is that I won't have to face him any time this school year."

"Well that's good news at least," Hermione said with a sigh. "So they found a Horcrux but they're going to let it be in case Voldemort wants to…what? Check up on it?"

"Pretty much," Harry replied with an affirmative nod. "And Aunt Ginny told me that she's going to keep researching for the rest of the term to see if she can find out any more information about other possible Horcruxes."

"Lovely," Ron stated. "And we still don't know how many there are?"

"Not a chance," Harry said.

"What about Pettigrew?" Hermione asked when Harry made no move to continue speaking. "Did they have any information for you about him?"

"Aunt Ginny says that Moony and Padfoot can tell us anything we want to know," Harry told her. "After they finally got back, Aunt Ginny got some crazy idea that we needed to have family bonding time for the rest of the time we were all home, which is also why I never got the chance to write to either of you."

"Well, I guess we can forgive you, then," Ron said with a small grin. "I think we all know how insane that aunt of yours can be."

Harry laughed. "So, what did the two of you do over your holiday?"

"Well…"

**Originally Posted 8/12/12**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

True to his promise to his Aunt Ginny, Harry attempted to put any thoughts of dark wizards and Horcruxes to the back of his mind for the time being, and simply enjoy life as any normal thirteen-year-old would. Of course, this was only after he'd tracked down Sirius and Remus—accompanied by Hermione and Ron and with the aid of the Marauder's Map—and basically demanded that they share all of the information Ginny had given them. It was this information that truly allowed him to relax and not feel guilty about acting his own age.

"Gin said I broke in the night of the Gryffindor/Ravenclaw match," Sirius had informed Harry, Ron, and Hermione. He continued with a happy grin, "Confused the hell out of everyone, too, because I went after Ron, not Harry, and didn't kill a single soul, even though everyone had me pegged as a crazed mass-murderer, out to get the lone survivor of the attack that led to my former master's downfall."

"The more I hear about it," Harry had replied, "The more I think that the timeline Aunt Ginny grew up in was messed up; I think I like you better not as a crazy mass-murderer, Padfoot."

"Don't we all?" Remus had then contributed in a dry tone of voice.

"But Ginny thinks Pettigrew will break into Hogwarts that same night?" It was Hermione who had brought them all back to the reason they had even been having this particular conversation. "She thinks he'll break in and go after Harry this time around?"

"She does," Remus had replied with a nod, his lips pressed into a tight frown.

"But since we know about it in advance," Finally Ron had joined in on the conversation at that point, "We'll be able to set up a trap for him, won't we?"

Sirius had nodded affirmatively. "Moony and I are working on it now."

"We'll need the Map," Remus had cut in at this point, directing his words to Harry. "That way we'll be prepared from the moment he enters the grounds."

"Won't Pettigrew be expecting you to have this, though?" Harry had asked, easily surrendering the piece of parchment, never mind that the aforementioned Quidditch match wasn't for another month, at that point. "I mean, he helped create it…"

"Barely," Sirius had muttered.

"And you're forgetting," Remus had spoken again, "That Padfoot got it confiscated before we left school, which is how the Weasley twins ended up with it. If Pettigrew even remembers the Map, he won't think we have it."

"Got it confiscated on purpose!" Sirius had been quick to amend his old friend. "In order to enable another generation of rule-breakers, of course."

Remus had merely rolled his eyes, before focusing his attention on the young trio once more. "There isn't much else to tell you at this point. And, before you say anything, yes, we will be cluing you into our plan. After all, you're the person Pettigrew is going to be after, Harry. But, for now, let's just at least try and pretend that you're a normal teenager, alright? I do believe you have a Christmas present that you've been dying to put to good use…"

It had been three weeks since that conversation. Three long weeks filled with classes, meals, time spent with Ron and Hermione, and, of course, Quidditch practice. The practices had definitely been Harry favorite part of all of it. Because, as it turned out, the errand that Sirius had sent Hedwig on when he, Ginny, and Remus had arrived at Privet Drive over the holidays had been to place an order for his Christmas present to Harry. His Christmas present that happened to be a brand new Firebolt to replace the broomstick destroyed by the Whomping Willow the previous term.

Needless to say, after all of Sirius' incessant worrying, he was most definitely Harry's favorite person at the end of the day.

And now there was just less than a week left until Harry would finally get to reveal his Firebolt to the rest of the school—at Oliver's insistence, Harry's possession of the top-of-the-line racing broom had remained the Gryffindor team's secret; their secret weapon, in fact. But even with the impressive broom, Oliver was still imposing Quidditch practice five nights a week and, as exhilarating as Harry had always found flying, he really just wanted some sleep at this point. But, of course, that was hardly going to happen when Hermione was his friend.

"That Herbology essay isn't going to write itself, you know," the sudden addition of Hermione's voice to the otherwise silent room interrupted Harry from drifting off to sleep over his textbook.

Harry and Hermione were the only two people remaining in the Gryffindor Common Room, as it was now well past midnight. Ron had gone to bed nearly an hour previously, while Harry attempted to get caught up with the work he had recently been neglecting in favor of sleep and Quidditch. When Hermione had remained down in the Common Room, Harry had thought that it was in a show of solidarity, that she was just keeping him company until he was finished. Naturally, he hadn't complained that his overly-studious friend was there, as he was bound to need some type of assistance from her with his piles of schoolwork. As it turned out, however, Hermione appeared to be a bit behind on her work as well, because she had even more books spread out before her than Harry did.

"Just taking a short break," Harry said, attempting to fight through a yawn before easily accepting defeat. After a brief stretch, he refocused his attention on the table between the pair and his gaze landed on the text before Hermione. With a slight frown, he continued, "Have you been taking Ancient Runes all year?"

"Yes," Hermione muttered absentmindedly, her focus having returned to the runes she was translating now that she knew for sure Harry was fully-conscious.

"But…" Harry was confused. He'd noticed the piles of homework Hermione always seemed to have—even now he could see Muggle Studies and Charms books mixed in with Ancient Runes, and an Arithmancy essay drying off to the side—and she _was_ always talking about her classes but, for as much as he and Ron truly loved their bushy-haired friend, they basically tended to tune her out whenever she started talking about school. Which was quite often, much to their chagrin. "Isn't that at the same time as Divination?"

"Only on Thursdays," Hermione replied, still barely paying attention to him.

This only served to confuse Harry further, but he shrugged it off. Clearly Hermione wasn't about to halt her progress on her translations to have a conversation with him about her class schedule at two in the morning. He'd just have to remember to bring the topic up with her at another time when she wasn't quite so busy and he wasn't so tired…if such a time actually existed.

Half an hour later, Harry had finally gotten through the slow torture that Herbology was turning out to be. With a sigh of relief, he put down his quill and stretched once more before standing up. He glanced across the table at Hermione to see that she was now immersed in reading a book that appeared to be for Muggle Studies.

"You should go to bed," He told her sternly.

"I only have three chapters left," Hermione said immediately without so much as glancing up from the page her eyes were zooming across.

"And you don't have Muggle Studies tomorrow," Harry reminded her, now making his way around the table so that he was standing directly next to her chair, hovering over her. "You need to rest."

"We just got back from a two week break," Hermione told him, finally looking up at him as she found it difficult to concentrate on her reading while he hovered. "And I have a lot of work to do."

"I'm sure you worked throughout break and barely got a wink of sleep then," Harry informed her, "And it's been nearly a month since then, anyway."

Harry was frowning sternly at her by this point, but Hermione, never one to back down easily, held her own and frowned right back.

"Don't make me take the book away from you," Harry threatened. Hermione hadn't seen him reach for it, but suddenly his wand was in his hand and he was waving it threateningly in front of her face.

Her frown deepened almost imperceptibly and she narrowed her eyes at her oldest friend. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me," Harry replied easily, not above vanishing his friend's schoolwork until at least after breakfast if it meant she would get a few decent hours of sleep for once. "Come on, Hermione," He began now, "I know you're just as tired as I am. Sleep is _good_ for you."

Hermione merely continued to frown at him, but Harry thought that maybe he could see her resolve at least wavering the slightest bit.

"Have you finished all of your work for tomorrow, at least?" Harry pressed her.

"Yes," Hermione scoffed, looking highly affronted. "I finished the last of it yesterday."

"There you go, then," Harry said happily, "If it's all done, there's no need for you to be up now."

Hermione sighed heavily here, and Harry knew that he'd won this round. "Well…I _am_ rather exhausted…"

"That's the spirit!" Harry informed her. "Off to bed we go!" His eyes widened in alarm as a look of mortification suddenly crossed his face. "I mean, off to bed I go and off to bed you go. Separately. Not together. Never together."

Hermione smiled now, and let out a small laugh as she stood up. "And you think _I'm_ the one who needs more sleep?"

* * *

Ginny pushed away her book with a look of extreme distaste written across her features. The Horcrux hunt was not going well. For as much as she'd disillusioned herself about Dumbledore and consequently no longer trusted him, she couldn't help but admire the fact that he'd undertaken this same task all on his own. And he'd done it from scratch, too. Ginny had had some help starting her out on her current search.

She _really_ missed Hermione.

Because it was Hermione who had given Ginny all of the initial information she had needed to begin her search for the Horcruxes—the Hermione of Ginny's former timeline, that is. The Hermione that had been Ginny's best friend, and thus hadn't kept any secrets from her.

Initially, Hermione had withheld the information that Harry had shared with her and Ron. In fact, she had never intended to share any of it with Ginny at all, as per the promise she and Ron had made to Harry. It was when Harry broke up with Ginny and Hermione later inadvertently let slip that the trio wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts the next year, that she made the executive decision that Ginny deserved to know the whole truth.

And so, it was before the Ministry fell and the trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione disappeared, Ginny learned everything that they knew about how Voldemort could, ultimately, be defeated.

Understanding _why_ they had to leave had then inspired Ginny to restart Dumbledore's Army, in order to continue the fight against the Death Eaters who had taken control of Hogwarts. But then none of it had mattered, in the end. Harry had died. And Ginny had ended up in the past, sent there to change the course of history.

She thought she was doing a decent job but, honestly, Ginny was at a loss. The instructions she had received had been vague, at best. How could she _really_ know that everything she was doing was actually changing Harry's life for the better? For all she knew, keeping him away from Dumbledore was only setting him back further.

And that was why she had taken up the mission to find and destroy all of the Horcruxes she had learned about in her own time.

It was the situation with the diary that had concerned Ginny the most and put her on the path she was currently on.

She knew it would eventually come into her younger self's possession, so she didn't feel the need to search for it. But she also remembered her past experiences with it and would have been perfectly happy to prevent her younger self's possession by simply taking the diary from the younger girl and destroying it herself. However, she ultimately decided that it was an experience that the trio and her younger self needed to have. It definitely hadn't been an easy decision to make, and that had led to her cutting off communication with Harry the previous school year. If she was going to make the decision to have him destroy the Horcrux himself, then she couldn't be there to hold his hand the entire way. Or take the risk of changing her mind.

After hours and hours of research on the Gaunt family, Ginny, Remus, and Sirius had also been able to discover the location of the ring. In the end, though, it had been a fruitless search as Ginny had recognized the area from stories Harry had told her, back in her own time, about the place where he had witnessed Voldemort's return. It hadn't been too much of a letdown, however, because she had already successfully discovered the location of the real locket Horcrux. Moving into Grimmauld Place and taking charge of the cleaning really had turned out to be a good idea…

And that just left Hufflepuff's cup…and whatever other Horcruxes Voldemort had made up to the current point in time. Ginny was truly at a loss for what other objects Voldemort may have turned into Horcruxes, and had decided, instead, to focus her attention on the one that she _did_ know about, for the time being at least. She had hit quite the dead end, though, as no one had seen or heard of anything belonging to Helga Hufflepuff in years. Which was what led Ginny to her current predicament.

She bloody hated this Horcrux hunt. She was sick of it. She didn't want anything to do with it anymore.

What Ginny Weasley really needed at that moment was a break.

Yes, a break sounded quite nice, actually. After traipsing the English countryside for months in search of the Gaunt family's ancestral home, she, Sirius, and Remus had spent a week with Harry doing family things before all three returned to Hogwarts. But Ginny hadn't had some time to herself in quite a while. And no, for the record, doing solitary research did _not_ count. Grimmauld Place really wasn't the type of place one relaxed in easily, anyway.

But Ginny knew somewhere she could relax for a few days before getting back into the Horcrux hunt…

"Kreacher!" She called suddenly, standing up from her seat in the library. She'd been sitting there for hours—since breakfast, really, only having stopped for lunch when the house elf had brought it to her, since she'd lost track of time.

There was a loud crack, and then Kreacher appeared before Ginny. "Mistress?"

"I'm going away for a few days, Kreacher," Ginny told the elf as she tidied up all of the books and various pieces of parchment that she'd spread out across the table.

"Does Mistress need Kreacher to pack a bag for her?" Kreacher asked eagerly.

"No, that's alright," Ginny told him quickly. Even after living in Grimmauld Place—most recently completely alone with Kreacher—Ginny would never get used to having a house elf around; she was more than happy do things for herself. Also, it didn't hurt that she often heard a voice that sounded suspiciously like Hermione's start lecturing about house elf rights whenever Kreacher managed to wait on her hand and foot, not that this happened often of course…

"Yes, Mistress," Kreacher replied now, looking entirely downhearted.

"Well…" Ginny hesitated, unable to help but feel badly for the elf, no matter the lecture she was sure to start imagining in her head any moment now. Good Merlin, she needed a vacation. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt if you packed up some food for the next few days. That would save me some trouble."

"Of course, Mistress," Kreacher immediately perked up. "Kreacher would be happy to pack food for Mistress!"

Half an hour later found Ginny with her bag packed and accepting the largest picnic basket she had ever seen from Kreacher. Just by the weight of the thing, she was sure she'd be able to survive for at least several weeks on the food it contained.

"When will Mistress be returning?" Kreacher asked now. "Kreacher wants to be sure to have a meal ready for Mistress when she returns."

Ginny paused before answering, a frown creasing her features as she realized she had become so immersed in her research that she no longer kept track of the date. "What day is it?"

"Thursday," Came the prompt response from Kreacher.

"Thursday…" Ginny repeated thoughtfully. "And the date?"

"February third, Mistress."

"I should be back by Saturday, then," Ginny said decisively. "I'm expecting to hear from Sirius or Remus that night, so I'll probably be back around lunchtime."

"The Master and his friend will be returning home also?" Kreacher questioned, always happy for more mouths to feed.

"Probably not," Ginny said, then continued once she saw how down Kreacher seemed, "But Remus will likely be here for the full moon at the end of the month because he stayed at Hogwarts last week."

"Mister Moony is always more hungry at the full moon," Kreacher stated happily.

Ginny couldn't help but smile at the elf as she walked over to the kitchen fireplace. "I'll see you in a few days, Kreacher."

"Kreacher hopes Mistress has a nice trip!" Kreacher called after Ginny as she disappeared through the floo.

Ginny's smile widened as she stepped through on the other side. It had been more than a year since they had made the move to Grimmauld Place, and she had missed her cottage in Godric's Hollow. It was the home she had made in the past, and she knew it would be the perfect place to simply relax for a few days.

Humming slightly to herself now, Ginny made her way through the living room and to the kitchen, happy to see that the anti-dust charm she'd cast nearly two years previously still seemed to be holding. Once in the kitchen, she set the large basket on the table and opened it at the same time as she slipped her bag onto the floor. Shaking her head slightly in amusement at everything Kreacher had managed to cram into it, she slipped her wand out of her pocket and, with a slight flick of her wrist, all of the basket's contents made their way into the cabinets.

Ginny contemplated just making dinner then, but she _had_ had a rather large lunch…and it _was_ only four o'clock… That was when she caught sight of her bag still on the ground at her feet. Maybe she'd unpack first. She'd remembered to bring along a book—a _fun_ book, for once—that she'd been meaning to read for ages. Yes, unpacking sounded like a good idea. Then she could read and relax a bit before starting dinner.

Now incredibly pleased with herself for remembering that she even had a place away from Sirius' still slightly grim childhood home, Ginny placed her wand on the kitchen table beside the basket and picked her bag up once more.

Still humming slightly to herself, Ginny made her way back out into the hall and then up to the second floor. The sound died on her lips, however, when she pushed open the door to her bedroom and a scene that she had definitely _not_ been expecting caught her sight. The blankets were rumpled at the foot of the obviously-slept-in bed and there was a half-eaten plate of food on the bedside table.

Someone had been in her house.

Mentally cursing herself for not having her wand on her, Ginny immediately dropped her bag and spun around to return to the kitchen…

…only to find her own wand being pointed directly at her face.

"Hello, Miss Collins. I was hoping you'd come back here eventually."


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

Harry had loved his Nimbus 2000. He'd had other broom growing up, courtesy of Sirius of course, but his Aunt Ginny had bought the Nimbus for him specially when he'd made the Gryffindor Quidditch team in his first year. And, although he'd never been able to win the Quidditch cup (really, through no fault of his playing abilities), Harry and his faithful broom had been through a lot in those two years. Naturally, he had been beyond devastated when the Whomping Willow had destroyed his beloved broom back in October.

But, even though he would likely always mourn the abrupt loss of his Nimbus, Harry would definitely be lying if he said he said he didn't love his new Firebolt. Basically, Harry was of the opinion that the Firebolt was the greatest invention to ever grace the Quidditch world…or, quite possible, the _entire_ world. And he was pretty sure everyone in Gryffindor House—if not all of Hogwarts—agreed with him on this particular Saturday.

Ravenclaw had never stood a chance.

And clearly, if Oliver Wood's reaction to winning against them was any indication, Gryffindor was definitely still in the running for the Quidditch Cup.

Yes, altogether it was a good night to be in Gryffindor Tower. Well…at least most people thought so.

"Percy really shouldn't be encouraging this behavior," Hermione stated, frowning disapprovingly in the direction of the Head Boy.

"Relax, Hermione," Ron cried over the roar of noise in the Common Room, throwing an arm around the bushy-haired girl and toasting her with his half-empty bottle of butterbeer, which the twins had snuck in from Hogsmeade. "Live a little!"

Hermione, for her part, seemed too surprised by the arm around her shoulder to answer.

"You do seem awfully wound up, Hermione," Harry said in a softer voice, leaning in so that she could hear him over the noise. He frowned suspiciously at her. "You don't want everyone to quiet down and go to bed so that you can have peace and quiet to do _homework_ in, do you? Take a break, Hermione. It's a Saturday!"

"Although I _do_ have homework," Hermione finally appeared to come to her senses and shrugged out of Ron's embrace, "I was actually more concerned about the significance of this particular Saturday night."

Harry's face now took on a thoughtful expression, while Ron looked incredibly confused.

"Huh?"

"I'd hate for a party to scare anyone away from Gryffindor Tower tonight," Hermione said pointedly.

"Scare—oh!" Ron said suddenly, realization clearly dawning on him. "I'd forgotten that was tonight…"

"Don't worry, Hermione," Harry reassured the girl, now, "Padfoot and Moony are keeping watch. They'll be sure to enforce curfew if they think this," Here, he indicated their general surroundings in a haphazard manner, "is going on too long."

"I suppose you're right," Hermione said with a sigh.

"That's the spirit!" Harry said happily. "Now, you don't look nearly happy enough to be celebrating with us. We need to find you some sugar!"

* * *

"I never noticed before how boring this map is when we're not using it to sneak around to prank people," Sirius commented in an offhand manner, his gaze roaming steadily across the Marauder's Map.

"Only _you_ would consider something about _this_ map boring," Remus said in amusement as he placed a steaming mug on the table in front of Sirius before resuming his seat beside the other man. "Anything, yet?"

"McGonagall's headed up to break up the part," Sirius replied, lifting the mug to his lips. Taking a sip, his eyes widened in shock. "Moony!"

"What?" Remus said up, suddenly alert as he leaned closer to the map. "Is it Pettigrew? Do you see him?"

"No," Sirius said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Moony, you made me _coffee_!"

Remus rolled his eyes as he settled back into his chair. "You say that like it's never happened before. And, while we're at it, thanks for giving me a heart attack."

"That's because it _hasn't_," Sirius responded, a serenely happy smile drifting across his face as he took another sip of his beverage of choice. "You outlawed all caffeine in our third year. Marlene and I had to smuggle it in as contraband from then on. Remember?"

"Well consider it a treat for tonight, then," Remus replied dryly.

"I'll cherish every drop," Sirius told him in complete seriousness.

Whatever sarcastic thing Remus may have said in reply to this, however, was cut off by a loud _crack!_ that reverberated off of the stone walls of Sirius' office, where the two men had been holding their vigil.

"Kreacher?" Sirius questioned, surprised to see the house elf now standing beside his chair, clutching anxiously at his pristine smock. "What are you doing here? Has Ginny sent you with more information?"

Kreacher was silent for the briefest of moments after Sirius spoke, his lip trembling. And then, "Mistress is missing!" Kreacher wailed, the tears breaking free and running down his face.

"What?" Remus asked sharply. "Ginny is missing?"

Kreacher nodded miserably.

"What happened?" Sirius demanded urgently. "And I know you're upset, but try not to cry. This is important, Kreacher."

"M-Mistress," Kreacher began with a slight stutter, "Told Kreacher she wanted a break. She told Kreacher she was going away for a few days. But she told Kreacher she would be back in time for lunch today. And Kreacher made Mistress' favorite soup, but Mistress never came home!"

And with that, Kreacher simultaneously burst into tears once more and began banging his head against the table leg he was conveniently standing beside.

"Stop that, Kreacher," Sirius said and immediately the elf stilled, looking up at his master with watery eyes. "When was the last time you saw Ginny? When exactly?"

"Mistress was last with Kreacher on Thursday afternoon," Kreacher said swiftly. "Kreacher gave her food and then Mistress used the floo."

"Do you know where she went?" Remus asked.

"Kreacher does not know!" The elf cried. "Kreacher did not hear what Mistress said to make the fire turn green!"

Remus turned to Sirius. "Something is wrong. It isn't like Ginny to disappear like this, especially seeing as how it was her plan to capture Pettigrew tonight."

Sirius nodded his agreement, turning back to Kreacher, who currently had tears running down his face in a steady stream. Again.

"Ginny said she needed a break?" He asked. "What was she doing that she needed a break from?"

"Mistress read many books," Kreacher replied. "Kreacher thinks they made Mistress angry; Mistress could not find what she was looking for in her books."

"A break from Horcrux research, then," Sirius said thoughtfully, his gaze drifting briefly to the map before moving onto Remus when he didn't see Pettigrew's name on it anywhere. "Where would Ginny go to get away from that?"

"The Burrow, maybe?" Remus offered after a moment of thought.

"One of us should check," Sirius said firmly.

"I'll go," Remus offered immediately. "You're better off here for when Pettigrew show up," He smiled briefly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "It's part of _your_ job description to catch him, anyway."

Sirius nodded his approval and Remus stood up, one hand outstretched towards Kreacher.

"We'll go back to Grimmauld Place first," He said, "Make sure Ginny hasn't shown up there."

Now Kreacher nodded and, with another _crack!_, he disapparated himself and Remus from Hogwarts. When Remus opened his eyes again, it was to the familiar sight of the kitchen in Grimmauld Place.

"Mistress is not here," Kreacher said almost immediately, hands twisting his smock in his anxiety once more. "Mistress has not returned."

"You're sure?" Remus asked.

Kreacher nodded. "Kreacher cannot sense Mistress' presence here."

"Alright," Remus said firmly, "Kreacher you stay here in the house. She might still come back here, from wherever she is. I'm going to go to the Burrow to see if she's with Molly. If Ginny returns, I want you to let Sirius know immediately, and then myself. Understand?"

Kreacher nodded emphatically, his ears flopping as his head moved. Remus nodded once and then disapparated on his own. Now he was standing in the lane outside of the Burrow. He made short work of approaching the front door and knocking on it, his foot tapping anxiously as what felt like an age passed before it was opened.

"Remus!" Arthur said with some surprise. "What are you doing here? Has something happened at the school?"

"No," Remus said shortly, "Ginny isn't here, is she?"

"No, it's just Molly and I at the moment," Arthur said, frowning now.

"And you haven't seen her in the past few days?" Remus pressed.

"Molly mentioned that she stopped by for tea on Tuesday," Arthur offered. "But, as far as I know, she hadn't been back since. Has something happened to her?"

"We don't know," Remus said honestly. "Apparently she went away for a few days, and she told Kreacher she'd be back around noon today but she hasn't shown up yet."

"Well that's only a few…er, about twelve hours, actually," Arthur said, glancing down at his watch then back up at Remus. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

"Hopefully," Remus agreed, a sudden thought striking him. "I should go now; I think I might know where she might be. Just…it'd probably be best to mention this to Molly, at least until I've located Ginny. I wouldn't want her to worry."

"Quite right," Arthur said with a nod. "Best of luck to you."

Spinning on his heel, Remus was back outside of the anti-apparition wards in a matter of moments. Apparating once more, he now found himself in the backyard of the cottage Ginny still owned in Godric's Hollow. There didn't appear to be any lights on inside, but Remus was not so easily deterred. And it _was_ after midnight by this point; if Ginny was here, she _could_ be sleeping…

With a quickly muttered _Lumos_ followed shortly thereafter by _Alohomora_, Remus soon found himself in the kitchen. A brief glance around told him that someone had obviously been here in recent days, as Ginny's normally spotless kitchen was in a state of disarray. Remus couldn't help but frown at the piles of dirty dishes in the sink.

This couldn't possibly be Ginny's mess.

More cautious now, Remus continued into the rest of the house, checking the rooms for any inhabitants as he went. Satisfied that the first floor was deserted, Remus made his way up to the second, his still-lit want held steadily before him and an ear out for any noise that would alert him to the presence of anyone else in the house. It wasn't until he'd reached the third room on the floor—Harry's bedroom, he couldn't help but note—that he found anything.

Initially, he thought the room was empty, just like that others, until his wand light passed over what appeared to be a mound of dirty rags and blankets in the far corner. This made him pause. He had been the one to help Ginny pack everything up for the move to Grimmauld Place. The furniture was pretty much the only thing they'd left behind.

And then the mound moved.

One of the blankets slipped and Remus saw, with some degree of horror, the bright red hair that had been uncovered. In a flash, Remus was on the other side of the room and kneeling on the floor.

It was Ginny.

"Ginny," Remus whispered, pulling a dirty blanket away to reveal her bruised and bloodied face. "Ginny, can he hear me? It's Remus, Ginny."

There was no response. And, when Remus peeled the rest of the blanket away, he wasn't at all surprised. There were shallow cuts along every visible area of Ginny's skin, most of them surrounded by dried blood, though some appeared fresh, with additional bruises scattered here and there. Ginny had been tortured.

But by who?

Remus could barely spare a second thought for that right now, though. Ginny could only have been over-powered by magic; she'd probably been on the receiving end of several curses as well. And there was really no telling how long she'd been lying here. He needed to get her some medical attention right now.

With one hand still firmly clutched around his wand, Remus scooped Ginny into his arms, with her head resting on his shoulder. She stirred slightly as he stood up and began retracing his footsteps—back out of the bedroom, through the hall and down the stairs, through the downstairs hall. Then he paused in his tracks.

There was a light shining through the crack under the kitchen door.

Remus cursed under his breath. Ginny stirred a bit more at the sound of his voice.

"Remus?" He recognized the sound that passed her lips as his name, but it came out as more of a moan than a clearly discernible word.

"Shh…" Remus whispered, his arms tightening around her the slightest bit. "I've got you; you're safe now."

As silently as possible, Remus turned around in the narrow hall. They'd go out through the front door, then.

"Remus." This time it was unmistakably his name. But she was too loud. Whoever Remus could hear moving around in the kitchen might overhear them.

"Shh," Remus said again. "You'd have to be quiet, Ginny. I'll get you out of here."

"Remus," And finally Remus could hear the urgency in Ginny's voice, though she remained barely conscious.

"What is it, Gin?" Remus asked, maneuvering slightly to unlock the front door.

"He's here." Her voice was loud in the silence.

Remus froze. Ginny had barely spoken when the unmistakable sound of the kitchen door opening sounded throughout the otherwise silent house—Sirius had complained for years but never done anything to fix the squeaky hinges.

He glanced over his shoulder but all he could make out was a silhouette framed by the light now spilling into the hallway. He swore again and all but yanked the front door off its hinges before sprinting across the front lawn and away from the warded house.

Clutching Ginny even closer now, Remus briefly glanced back at the house as he spun on his heel. What he saw there made his blood run cold just before disapparating with a _pop_.

Standing there in the doorway, pointing what must have been Ginny's wand at them, was someone Remus hadn't seen face-to-face in more than twelve years.

It was Peter.

**a/n-I hate begging for reviews. I hate reading author's notes in which review are begged for. But, most of all, I hate not getting reviews. Perfect example: four reviews for the last chapter. Four (!). Of course, I realize that this is mostly my fault right now. I'd imagine I lost quite a few readers/reviewers in my two-year absence from this story. But I am trying to get back into writing it (2 updates in 1 month!). For you. The only problem is that, with barely any reviews, I have no idea if people even like what I've written. I'd ask if people are still reading this story, but I know it's getting hits.**

**So please, if you have the time, just leave a review. I'm not asking for anything drastic, I promise. And I'm definitely not about to hold the next chapter hostage if I don't get a certain number of reviews-mostly because that would imply that I actually have the next chapter all written and ready to go, which is not the case at the current moment. Also, I hate it when authors on here do that. But back to you reviewing. Just let me know if you liked the chapter. Heck, tell me you hated it. In fact, the current storyline with Ginny and Pettigrew is brought to you courtesy of a reviewer who hated the direction I was taking the story in. So, you see, there's proof that I am listening and want to write this story for _you_.**

**Thanks for reading, though. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	31. Chapter 31

**a/n—Well, happy 6****th**** anniversary of this story being published, I suppose. Just seeing how many years it's been makes me cringe, but I'm bound to finally complete this story one day…**

**Chapter Thirty One**

Ginny had never felt more tired in her entire life.

And yet she felt so relaxed. Whatever she was lying on—a bed, a cloud, a pile of rocks?—was simply heavenly. The only bad thing about her current position was that she had apparently forgotten to close her curtains before going to bed the previous night. Merlin, that sunlight was bright, even through closed eyelids.

Except…

Ginny's bedroom at Grimmauld Place didn't get any sun exposure in the morning.

This realization brought her crashing back to reality.

Why was she so comfortable? Peter Pettigrew had been hiding in her home in Godric's Hollow. He'd stolen her wand. He'd tortured her. This wasn't right.

At this, Ginny forced her eyes to finally open. And then she promptly shut them again after being blinded by the bright sunlight directly in her eyes. After a few moments, she turned her head to the side and tried again. The sight that met her eyes was rather surprising.

Slouching in a chair beside her bed, fast asleep, was Sirius. Beyond him, she easily recognized the scenery of the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts, familiar from the numerous times she had visited Harry there in her own time, in addition to the few times she'd been there herself. But why was she here, of all places, now?

"You're awake," At the sound of the familiar voice, Ginny shifted her head slightly to see Remus standing at the foot of her bed, mercifully blocking most of the sunlight. She noted that the expression on his face matched his tone: weary relief.

Ginny struggled to sit up and Remus hurried to her side so that he could assist her. Once she was upright, Remus pressed a glass of cool water into her hands, and also ended up helping her drink it as she was still quite weak, after affects of all of the curses she'd been subjected to. All of the commotion quickly woke Sirius from his uncomfortable slumber.

"Ginny!" He exclaimed, launching out of his chair once Remus had put the now-empty water glass on the bedside table; despite his enthusiasm, he hugged her gently before pulling away again. "You had us all so worried. How are you? Should I get Madame Pomfrey? I should probably get her anyway; she'll have my hide if she knows you woke up and we didn't inform her immediately. But it's breakfast now, and she's not here—"

"Sirius," Ginny interrupted his rambling softly, her voice still a bit gravelly even after the water. "I'll be fine until she gets back. How long was I out?"

"Three days," Remus answered promptly. "Do you remember anything?"

Ginny frowned, her gaze locked on his. "Did you…you were there, weren't you? You found me?"

Remus nodded emphatically.

"How?" Ginny questioned. "I don't even know how long he—Pettigrew! Did they catch him?"

Sirius shook his head to indicate the negative now. "He'd fled by the time the Aurors showed up."

"Aurors?" Ginny repeated with another frown.

"Maybe we should start at the beginning, Ginny," Remus suggested, sitting down in the empty chair next to the one Sirius had been occupying. Sirius remained standing for the time being, slightly restless after his uncomfortable night's sleep. He set up a silencing spell around Ginny's bed while Remus continued, "Let's start with you. Why did you even go back to Godric's Hollow?"

"I needed a break from research on the Horcruxes," Ginny replied. "I haven't been getting anywhere with it recently, and I needed a breath of fresh air. When I got there, I didn't notice any disturbances to the house. But I was only there for a few minutes before Pettigrew showed himself."

"How did he overpower you, though?" Remus asked. "The Aurors couldn't find your wand anywhere in the house, so he must have taken it from you."

"I put it down," Ginny said, slightly guiltily, "In the kitchen. That was my first stop when I got there, to drop off the basket of food Kreacher sent me with. Then I went upstairs to drop off my bag in my bedroom; I didn't think I'd need my wand so I left it behind. Of course, that was when I finally realized that there was someone in the house, because Pettigrew had been sleeping in my room. That's when he cornered me with my wand."

"And that was on Thursday?" Sirius questioned. "Kreacher said that was the last time he saw you."

Ginny nodded. "It was late in the afternoon." She frowned yet again. "How long did he have me there? After awhile, all of the curses caused time to sort of bleed together."

"Kreacher showed up here late Saturday night," Sirius answered. "He was concerned that you hadn't come home by the time you promised him."

"So that would make today…Tuesday?" Ginny asked.

"Wednesday morning," Remus corrected. "You really did sleep for three straight days; Madame Pomfrey was expecting a week."

"Why am I here, anyway?" Ginny asked, taking in her surroundings once more. "Why did you bring me back to Hogwarts?"

Sirius looked around the Hospital Wing now, too, but in his case it was to make absolutely certain it was deserted before continuing, "We figured they'd have a permanent record of you if Remus had brought you to St. Mungo's. Plus they'd have identified you as Ginevra Weasley."

"Not that I even thought of any of that right away," Remus admitted now. "I was too concerned for you to really concentrate on where I was apparating to. Hogwarts just so happened to be the place I thought of first. But Madame Pomfrey is just as good as any healer at St. Mungo's. Merlin knows she's seen some interesting things in her time here."

"But what about Dumbledore?" Ginny pressed. "How did you get me passed him?"

"But my dear Virginia Collins," Sirius said theatrically, reaching out and grasping both of her hands in his. "However could I bear to be parted from my beloved when she had suffered such grievous injuries?"

Ginny merely stared at him with wide eyes for a moment before speaking. "Dumbledore actually bought that."

Sirius released her hands with a shrug and a smirk. "It didn't hurt that he'd actually met you before, and so knew we were involved. Plus, I have a feeling he's going to want to question you himself about the Pettigrew sighting."

"Wait a minute, that's another thing," Ginny said suddenly. "You said the Aurors were involved. Won't that be worse than St. Mungo's having a permanent record of me?"

"My dear Virginia, has your recent trauma caused you to completely forget your own history?" Sirius asked and, if Ginny hadn't known the truth of her own identity, she would have completely fallen for the concerned look he was giving her.

"Apparently," she said dryly.

"Well you know that you were homeschooled, correct?" Sirius questioned.

Ginny nodded. "My parents—an American wizard and a British witch—travelled a lot."

"Yes," Sirius agreed, "And on their travels, they happened to make a few enemies."

"Death Eaters," Remus cut in and Sirius nodded his agreement.

"And of course you've basically been on the run from them ever since, because they're always going to hold a grudge against you," Sirius continued. "It wasn't enough to simply kill your parents; they still want you dead because of whatever horrible thing your parents got into with them. But, of course, it's been years since any of you have crossed paths, which is why you were so surprised by Pettigrew when you went to go visit your home, which you haven't been to since moving in with yours truly more than a year ago."

"Alright…" Ginny said slowly, after taking a moment to process all of this. "But that still doesn't explain what we're going to do about the Aurors having me in their records now."

"But why would they?" Sirius asked innocently.

"What did you do?" Ginny asked him, narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously.

"Nothing, for once, actually," Remus said with a small grin. "This time it was me. Well, Dumbledore helped a bit."

"Did he really?" Ginny questioned and the pair nodded vigorously.

"We said that I was going to my cottage—and it is mine technically, because you insisted on putting my name on the deed all those years ago," Remus said. "Anyway, I went to my cottage to capture a boggart that I knew was lurking about in an empty cupboard, when I saw Peter Pettigrew there. Naturally, he was after me because I was the one who turned him in to the Ministry all those years ago. And of course I had to alert the authorities right away, but Pettigrew must have seen me because he was long gone by the time they got there."

"And this involves Dumbledore…how?" Ginny asked.

"He believed our reason for why you should be kept out of the official records of the event," Remus said with a shrug. "He knows there are former Death Eaters lurking in the ranks of the Ministry; he wouldn't want them to catch wind of your whereabouts so he supported us giving the false story to them."

Ginny let out a brief, mirthless laugh. "That sounds just like him."

Nothing more could be said, however, because at that moment the doors to the infirmary opened to reveal none other than Albus Dumbledore, himself.

"I am glad to see that you're doing better, Ms. Collins," Dumbledore said, taking in the scene before him with a twinkle in his eyes. Remus was still sitting in his chair, but Sirius was now resting on the edge of Ginny's bed. He made his way over to them. "I daresay Mr. Black was quite worried for you while you were unconscious."

Ginny did her best to smile pleasantly at the man. No matter that she had changed things considerably, she would always remember what her beloved Harry had had to go through in her own time, thanks in large part to the man standing at the foot of her bed.

"Thank you so much for allowing me to stay here," Ginny told him. "If the wrong person in the Ministry found out—"

Dumbledore held up a hand to silence her. "Do not mention it, Ms. Collins. I always try my best to help people whenever I may."

They conversed pleasantly for a few moments more, with Remus and Sirius chiming in as well, until Dumbledore made his excuses to leave, politely reminding the pair of Marauders that they had their own duties in the school to attend to as well.

"He suspects something," Ginny said once she was sure Dumbledore was well on his way back to his office, and also after Sirius had put up another silencing spell after having surreptitiously taken the other one down when the Hospital Wing doors had first begun to open.

"What?" Remus asked sharply; he had just been standing up to make his way to his classroom for his first class of the day.

"Dumbledore suspects something," Ginny repeated. She turned to Sirius and smirked at him slightly. "Clearly your acting abilities aren't quite as sharp as you thought they were."

"But how do you know?" Remus pressed, slowly retaking his seat as he spoke.

"He kept trying to use Legilimency on me while we were talking," Ginny said with a frown. "Did neither of you really notice how he kept looking at me?"

"I thought he was just being his usual sunny self," Sirius admitted with a shrug.

"Should we assume that since you noticed his Legilimency, you were able to use Occlumency to block him?" Remus asked.

"Of course," Ginny replied. "All I let him see was the past few days with Pettigrew."

"But then why would you think that Dumbledore suspects something?" Sirius asked, brow furrowed.

"Well, for starters, he tried digging deeper," Ginny said, "But I made sure to concentrate on just Pettigrew, so he couldn't see anything else. And then there's the fact that he was even looking at all. I don't care if they've just suffered some kind of trauma, you don't go rooting around in complete stranger' minds unless you have a very good reason. We all know he's determined to figure out where Harry really was for those ten years he should have been living with the Dursley's."

"There isn't much we can do," Remus finally spoke up after a few brief moments of silence, "Except continue on as we've been doing lately." He frowned slightly as he continued, "We told Harry, Ron, and Hermione about your encounter with Pettigrew and that you were in here, and all three have visited you; they've barely left your side. In retrospect, I wish we hadn't told them. Their overwhelming concern for you is probably what made Dumbledore suspicious of you."

Sirius let out a sudden snort of laughter, redirecting both Ginny and Remus' attention to him.

"Sorry," He said, "I was just thinking…Dumbledore probably thinks Gin and I kidnapped Harry from his Aunt and Uncle's house and have been secretly raising him all these years."

"It wouldn't be very far off from the truth," Ginny said grimly.

"Well we'll have to be more careful from now on," Remus said resolutely.

"There's something else, too," Ginny said now, still grim. "Something I had plenty of time to think about while Pettigrew had me..."

"What is it, Gin?" Sirius asked, concerned due to her tone.

"Honestly, I didn't want to say anything right away because…" She sighed heavily here, "Well, because I just can't believe how stupid I've been. But it's important and I know I'd only have to tell you eventually, so I might as well as get it out of the way now. It's like this: finding Pettigrew at my cottage made me realize something."

Ginny paused to take a deep breath, and both Remus and Sirius waited patiently for her to continue.

"Things have changed," She finally continued. "With the timeline, obviously, but more so with how actual events are going to turn out. I honestly don't know why I didn't realize before now…but my being here has changed more than just what I intended it to."

"How do you mean?" Sirius asked slowly.

"Everything concerning Pettigrew is a wild card now," Ginny explained. "I don't know what to expect from him at all. For example, did he ever end up coming here on Saturday night?"

Both Sirius and Remus shook their heads.

"I had a feeling," Ginny said with another sigh. "We can't keep basing how things are going to turn out here completely on how they happened in my past. It really was beyond stupid of me to assume I could get away with that. Unless we want history to repeat itself, I really can't predict how things are going to turn out for Harry anymore."


End file.
